Strange Imprint: Seth's Story
by IamKate
Summary: Seth Clearwater gave up on the idea of imprinting and allowed himself to fall in love. On the day he announces his engagement, he finds out that he has a half brother. If that isn't strange enough, Seth finally imprints...on his brother's sister.
1. Strange

I participated in a "Fandom Gives Back" event awhile ago. The winner of my auction got to be Seth's imprint in my _Imprint Saga_. We ended up raising a lot of money with proceeds going to _Alex's Lemonade Stand_, an organization that helps fight childhood cancer. This story is dedicated to the winner of my auction, Kayla Marie. Kayla, thanks for giving me time to build your character into my saga and especially for donating money to such a great cause. Seth's story has been a long time coming and I appreciate your patience. This was originally supposed to be a one shot, but I decided to expand it into a very short story. It will be four chapters long.

**This story is rated M for language and adult themes. Stephenie Meyer owns all Twilight related characters and the Twilight universe. **

Some parts of this chapter can also be found in my stories, Absent Imprint (Leah's Story) and Forbidden Imprint (Embry's Story) and it will contain spoilers if you haven't read either story. (If you've read my other stories, this chapter has a scene that will be familiar, but it's told from Seth's POV…sorry to repeat a scene, but I had to start there.)

Chapter Song: Strange by Tori Amos

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><p>Strange Imprint (Seth's Story)<p>

**Prologue**

_Seth's POV_

I stared up at the church doors. How did I get here? Nine months ago, my life had been perfect. Since then, I felt as though I'd stepped onto an emotional roller coaster that didn't seem to want to end. I ruined the life of a girl I loved with everything I had in me by doing something unforgivable. I pulled a Sam, imprinting on one girl while still involved with another.

Coincidentally, I was pretty sure I had the strangest imprint on record. Who the fuck imprints on their brother's sister? But that's what happened to me.

I should probably point out that my imprint and I aren't related. We share two separate sets of parents. We just happen to have the same half brother.

Somewhere inside the church, the wedding march began to play. My bleeding heart shattered, falling into broken pieces around my feet...because that march wasn't meant for me. My imprint was marrying another man. Ignoring the pull that was screaming at me to claim what was mine, I turned away from the doors and slowly walked away…

**Chapter 1 – Strange**

_Nine Months Before_

I woke up with my head on Hayley's breast, her nipple standing proudly and all but begging for my attention. My lips formed into a smile as I moved my head to kiss the turgid point. Her back arched slightly in her sleep and I continued, circling it with my tongue.

"Mmhmm," she murmured, slowly coming awake. In a husky tone, she said, "morning."

"Good morning, fiancée," I said happily. I usually woke up in a good mood much to Hayley's annoyance. But today she greeted me with an answering smile.

"Good morning to you too…fiancé," she answered before grinning. "I can't believe it."

"Believe it," I replied, moving so that I was between her thighs, my morning hardness resting against her center. She instinctively wrapped her legs around me.

"I've loved you for so l-long," she said, her breath catching as I moved my hand between us to play with the sensitive bundle of nerves between her legs.

"Tell me again," I whispered as I leaned down to nuzzle her neck.

"I've loved you since I was fifteen," she told me the story as her nails began to rake down my back. "I saw you at Quil's wedding and I knew you were it for me."

I smiled as I looked at Hayley's flushed face. God, I loved this woman. I knew I always would.

I had tried for so long to resist falling for anyone—because I'd wanted to wait for her—my mythical imprint. From the moment I became a wolf and saw imprinting in the minds of my pack brothers, I waited for the day I would meet my "soul mate."

I didn't want to put any girl through what Leah had gone through. And I never wanted to put myself in Sam's shoes. When I was younger I hero-worshipped him. When he dumped Leah for Emily…I almost hated him for that until I phased the first time and saw imprinting through his eyes. I thought he had randomly dumped my sister for my cousin. How cold can you get? But then I felt his connection to Emily; the irrevocable bond that sealed his fate and I understood. Even though he loved Leah, it wasn't enough. He needed Emily like he needed air. And I wanted that type of relationship, too. I had wanted to imprint.

I've always been the happy-go-lucky type. Nothing usually got to me. I saw my family become divided when Sam imprinted. I saw my family almost destroyed when my father died shortly thereafter. Yet, I still kept my positive outlook on life.

Why?

Because I knew the great love of my life was out there waiting for me. So I went out and met as many women as I could. I even slept with a good majority of them. And I continued to wait for my imprint for the next 20 years.

But she never showed up. And I finally started to lose hope. All my friends were getting married, having children. Embry, Jacob, Quil…even Edward Cullen had a kid and grandkids. I wanted what they had.

I began to wonder if I would ever imprint. I mean, Mr. Perfect Imprint never happened for my sister, but that didn't stop her from finding happiness. Leah met Mr. Good Enough, settled down, got married, and lived happily ever after. Well, so far. Going by her example, I finally gave up on meeting my destiny. I started theorizing that maybe Clearwaters didn't imprint. When I finally accepted the inevitable and opened myself into finding real, tangible love, the perfect girl was in front of me the whole time.

I had known Hayley Becknell from the moment she was born. She was Jared and Kim's daughter and twin sister of Hanna. She made her intentions toward me known pretty much as soon as she hit puberty. She flirted with all the muster her teenage heart could carry. When she was fifteen, she even told me at Quil Ateara's wedding that she was in love with me. Of course, I didn't touch her. In fact, I kept my paws as far away from her as I could get.

Then the summer before she turned eighteen, something changed between us. Hayley stopped looking like a teen with a crush. For the first time, I saw her as the woman she was becoming. She applied for a summer job at the garage I co-owned with Quil and we hired her. She was good with customers, organized, and incredibly sweet. I couldn't help but be drawn to her.

It was right as summer was coming to a close that we kissed for the first time. I had gone into the front office where she worked. We had just closed for the night, and I'd wanted to wish her well because her senior year of high school was starting in a few days.

"Thank you, Seth," she had whispered. And before I knew it, she was in my arms, her mouth on mine. Though my mind had screamed caution, my heart and my body had wanted her. Still, I didn't push for anything else and even broke off the kiss, telling her it couldn't happen again.

It didn't matter. After that first taste of her, I found myself falling for Hayley. And she made it clear that she wanted me too. We began to date in secret. Well, we tried to keep it a secret, but I was still an active wolf and Hayley made me so happy. My feelings for her began to seep into the pack's minds and before I knew it, everyone knew we were dating, including Jared. Needless to say, he was pissed.

"What if you imprint?" he demanded to know. But by the time we'd reached this conversation, Hayley and I had been going strong and I had begun to get cocky, something very uncharacteristic of me.

I laughed at fate and said, "I'm a Clearwater. We don't imprint."

So despite disapproval from her parents and my mom…despite the raised eyebrows from my pack, Hayley and I continued to see each other. Of course, I treated her like a complete gentleman. The most I ever did was kiss her.

That lasted until Hayley's 18th birthday. I had taken her to Port Angeles for a nice dinner. She, in turn, checked us into a hotel. We spent the night making love for the first time.

The sex between us was phenomenal, probably the best I'd ever had. Hayley had been a virgin, but apparently she had been storing up a lot of fantasies about me over the years. She'd confessed that she had spent hours researching on the Internet how to pleasure a guy and damned if she didn't put that knowledge to good use.

And or the next nine months we became even closer, physically, spiritually, and emotionally. I soon realized that Hayley was it for me. I couldn't imagine my life without her. She had finished up school by then and had no desire to go to college. All she wanted was me, she said.

So last night, I proposed and Hayley happily accepted. We told Kim and Jared first. Kim had smiled though her eyes had been worried. Jared got up from the couch he'd been sitting on and started going towards his gun cabinet. Kim had stopped him before he could reach his rifle.

He then looked at me and stated threateningly, "Hurt my daughter, and I'll shoot your fucking nuts off."

So yeah…it went well. I also called my mom and told her the news. She spurted out her congratulations and hung up. A part of me was hurt. I really wanted someone to just be happy for us. I knew people were worried, but not all wolves imprinted. Why couldn't they understand that?

Leah was in town today for the baptism of Embry and Rebecca Black-Call's daughter, Maggie. She lived in Portland, Oregon with her husband and three kids. I hoped that at least my sister would be happy when she heard our news. And I knew she out of anyone would understand that you didn't need an imprint to find true love.

I looked at Hayley now, her cheeks flushed. She was so beautiful she took my breath away. I continued to play with her desire. Liquid heat greeted me. She was more than ready for me and I found I couldn't wait. I entered her slowly and began to thrust at a teasing pace.

"Harder Seth," Hayley demanded.

I took her bottom lip in my mouth and sucked it as I increased my pace. The bed was soon shaking as we moved, the air filled with our heavy pants. Hayley began to orgasm, her insides quivering around me. The sensation sent me over the edge. I grunted in exhilaration as I poured myself into her. She wrapped her arms around me and I collapsed against her, our bodies trembling together.

"Wow," she murmured as she kissed my neck. "You can wake me up like that anytime."

The phone next to my bedside table began to ring and we both groaned. Pulling away from Hayley, I reached over and answered it.

"Seth, it's your mother."

"What's up, Mom?" I said in exasperation.

"I need you to meet me at Embry Call's house as soon as possible."

"Mom," I said on a half laugh. "I haven't even gotten dressed yet or had coffee. Can't this wait until after Maggie's baptism?"

"No, I'm afraid it can't. This is important, Seth."

"Fine," I grumbled. "I'll meet you there."

I hung up the phone and brushed my mouth against Hayley's. "I've got to get going."

"So I heard," she replied. "I guess I should go, too. I need to go home, shower, and change before the christening."

I got out of bed and made my way over to the closet. "I'll see you there then. We can skip the party afterwards and go out for lunch."

I felt her arms wrap around me from behind. "And maybe take up where we left off, hmm?"

I turned so that I was facing her and kissed her softly on the lips. "That sounds like the perfect plan."

Sighing, she grabbed her clothes and put them on. Giving me one more kiss, she said, "I'll see you later."

After she left, I went in and took a quick shower before dressing in a nice suit for the day's event. It was designer made. I had done well for myself over the years. Aside from taking Alice Cullen's investment advice, I also was part of owner of my family's business, the _Clearwater Supply Store,_ as well as co-owner of the garage I ran with Quil. Leah and her best friend Whitney also owned two exclusive spas which I was a shareholder in. I had more money at this point in my life than I knew what to do with. Though I didn't spend it foolishly, there was nothing I liked more than a quality suit. I made my way over to the Call home and arrived at the same time my sister did. Leah came over and gave me a hug.

"Hey cradle-robber," she joked. "Where's the little one? Pre-school?"

My cheeks flushed. "You know that I didn't sleep with Hayley until she was eighteen, and I wish you wouldn't call her a pre-schooler."

"Aww, why? Will she throw a tantrum?" Leah replied sardonically.

"No, because I expect you to have more respect for my future wife," I gloated.

Leah's jaw dropped at that. "Are you shitting me?"

"Nope," I returned.

"You're making a mistake," she immediately said.

I felt myself getting angry. "Not you too! I thought that _you_ at least would be happy for me."

"The girl's an octopus, Seth," Leah said, her voice rich with disapproval. "She clings to you _way _too much. She always has and you're so desperate to get your happy-ever-after that you don't even see it."

"Were you desperate when you married Dylan?" I snapped and then was instantly remorseful. I knew how much it worried Leah that Dylan wasn't her imprint. She loved him and he was a good man. Dylan treated my sister like a queen, and they had three adorable kids to show for it. I said remorsefully, "I'm sorry. That was uncalled for."

"Yeah, it was," Leah said stiffly.

"I'm sorry," I stated again. "Where are the kids anyway? I thought they were coming with you."

"At Emily's," Leah responded. "She volunteered to watch them while we had this meeting."

"Did Lilly come?" I asked. Lilly was Leah's oldest child. She had just turned twelve and she was already acting like a moody teenager. I knew Leah was also concerned because a vampire had come near their home this past summer and Lilly had shot up overnight. Leah was worried that her daughter might phase soon.

"Yeah, she came with us, though she wasn't happy about it. She wanted to stay at her friends this weekend," Leah said just as our mother pulled up.

"Sorry, I'm late," Mom apologized as she knocked on the front door.

"Are you going to explain why we're having a family meeting and especially why we're having it at Embry Call's house?" Leah asked.

I frowned as I stared at my mom. She looked pale, her eyes slightly red-rimmed. I had to ask, "Are you okay?"

"Fine," she murmured as the door opened revealing Embry and Rebecca's son, Luke. Jeez, that kid was big for a seven-year-old.

"Hi Seth…hi Mrs. Swan," he said as soon as he saw us, his welcoming smile revealing that he lost a tooth recently.

"Hey kid," I returned. "Luke, this is my sister, Leah."

Leah never came back to La Push unless it was for a very good reason. She found that the best way to forget her painful past was to ignore it. In other words, she treated the rez like it had the plague. Luke cocked his head and his face became very serious as he stuck out his hand. Leah looked amused as she shook it.

Embry and Rebecca came down the stairs from the upper floor. Embry had done well for himself over the years despite the pain he'd suffered. His imprint hadn't been easy. Rebecca had been married at the time he imprinted. They ended up having a brief affair which resulted in Luke's conception. However, Rebecca hadn't known that the baby was Embry's until years later. By that time, Luke had only thought of his step-dad as his real father. He hadn't adjusted well to Embry's presence in his life, but things had gotten better for them. The years Embry had been separated from Rebecca now showed on his face. His hair was graying and he had deep lines around his mouth and eyes. Of course, his job as an emergency room doctor probably didn't alleviate his stress.

"Hey," he greeted, patting me on the back before giving Leah a quick hug. He put his arm around Rebecca and said, "Leah, you remember Becks, right?"

"Yeah," Leah replied, shaking Rebecca's hand. "Nice to see you again."

"You too. Embry told me you have three kids now."

As the girls talked about children, I watched my mom and Embry. They were exchanging silent glances I didn't understand.

Leah must have picked up on the tension as well, because she finally said, "Okay Mom, what did you want to talk to us all about?"

Our mother walked over to one of the living room chairs and sat down stiffly. Leah sat opposite her on a loveseat while Rebecca and Embry sat on the couch. I remained standing, crossing my arms over my chest.

Rebecca looked over at her son and said, "Luke sweetie, why don't you go upstairs for awhile and play, okay?"

He scurried upstairs and we heard his bedroom door close a few seconds later. My mom gave me a level stare.

"Seth, why don't you share your news with Embry and Rebecca," she suggested.

I wanted to roll my eyes at how dramatic she sounded. Instead, I unfolded my arms and rubbed at my neck as I said, "I don't know why you're making such a big deal about this." I glanced at Embry and stated, "I asked Hayley to marry me."

"Jared's daughter?" he replied in a surprised tone. "Isn't she a little young?"

"No," I snapped in annoyance, ignoring the smirk Leah was giving me. "She turned eighteen months ago. We've been dating for over a year now." I looked at my mom in frustration. "I love her, Mom. Why can't you just be happy for us?"

"Because you could imprint," she said sternly.

This time I did roll my eyes. "We've been over this. Clearwaters don't imprint. I mean, I've been a wolf for years and I've never imprinted. Leah's never imprinted either. It just doesn't happen for our family. And I don't know why we have to have this conversation in front of Rebecca and Embry anyway," I added in embarrassment.

"That's something I wanted to talk to you about," my mother said, her voice cracking slightly.

"Sue," Embry suddenly muttered as he looked increasingly uncomfortable. "You don't have to do this."

"I appreciate that, Embry," my mother said "But it's time. Way past, in fact."

"Would someone please explain what the hell is going on?" Leah said in a tone that made me frown at her. It was as though she'd picked up on something I had clearly missed.

"You're wrong, Seth," my mom finally stated. "Clearwaters _can_ imprint."

I froze as I said, "What are you talking about?"

"Shortly after Leah was born, your father and I had some problems. We had just started the store and things weren't going very well. In fact, we were fighting all the time. I had finally had enough and I left your father."

Leah started shaking her head. "Please tell me this isn't going where I think it is."

"Your father had an affair with Embry's mother," our mother said as tears flowed down her cheeks. "Embry's your brother."

I felt my stomach twist in disbelief. No way. No freaking way. My dad was the perfect family man. There was no way in hell he would have ever cheated on my mom.

"No," Leah said, obviously agreeing with my silent thoughts. She got up from her seat and began to pace. "Dad wouldn't do that."

And yet, in that second, I knew he would've. Shame filled me as I whispered, "Did he love her?"

My mother slowly shook her head. "No, he loved me. The affair was pretty much over before it even began."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Leah snapped.

"I didn't find out until after your father died," Mom explained. "And then…I just didn't know how to tell you."

"Oh my God," Leah suddenly muttered. "I used to give the pack so much shit about who Embry's father could be and the whole friggin time it was my own dad." She looked at Embry in anger. "Did you know?"

"Quil Sr. told me right before he died," he said quietly. I could almost hear Leah's spine snap in indignant fury.

"You've known for over a year and you didn't think to tell us," Leah hissed.

"He was trying to protect your feelings," Rebecca spoke up.

I tuned out as the rest of them bickered back and forth. All I could see was Hayley. I didn't care what they said. I wasn't giving her up for anything. I'd tell her everything that went on today and give her the choice. If she chose to let me go, it would kill me, but I'd respect what she said. But if she still wanted me despite the risks, nothing was going to come between us.

"This doesn't change anything," I remarked and the room fell silent. I looked at them and said with absolute conviction. "I'm still going to marry Hayley."

I was suddenly getting the urge to go outside. In fact, I looked over my shoulder several times at the door. I wanted out of here.

"But what if you imprint?" Mom whispered.

"It's not going to happen," I said impatiently. "And I'm not going to waste my life on a what if. I—"

There was a knock on the door and we all froze. I was closest to it and since my body was now screaming at me to get outside, I answered it without hesitation.

And…I lost the power to think.

Standing on the other side of the door was the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen. She was petite with long dark brown hair and hazel green eyes. As I stared at her, I realized that something strange was happening to me. It was like the gravity holding me to earth was transferring to this woman. The whole reason I had wanted to go outside was standing right in front of me. The pull on the base of my spine demanded that I get closer to her, and if the rest of my body would have cooperated, I would have thrown her over my shoulder and run away.

Because she was my world. She was my life.

She was my imprint.

"Hi, is Embry here?" she asked politely and the sound of her voice shot over my skin like an electric current. I couldn't even answer her. I was too dumbfounded.

"I'm here," Embry's voice said from behind me. The girl smiled and then brushed by me. I was aware of the scent of coconut and I shivered. I almost reached out and grabbed her to me just so I could breathe in her fragrant hair, but she moved too fast.

"Hey," she said, racing into Embry's arms and I had to fight back a possessive growl. I didn't give a shit if he was my brother or not, I wanted to deck him for touching my imprint. Somewhere in the back of my head, there was a rational voice whispering that I needed to snap out of it, but my inner wolf told that voice to fuck off.

Embry released her to my relief and she hugged Rebecca. So clearly she knew both of them, but I had never met her before. I couldn't recall ever seeing her on the rez, and I'd definitely remember meeting my destiny.

"What are you doing here?" Embry asked in confusion. She looked around, her eyes lingering on me briefly before she turned her attention back to Embry.

"I didn't mean to interrupt anything," she said. "I was hoping I could get in an hour with my niece and nephew before we went to the church. You know, seeing as Maggie's going to be my goddaughter and everything."

Wait…niece and nephew? A fact about Embry's mother registered in my brain. As soon as Embry turned eighteen, Kathy Call had left him and the rez behind to move to Seattle. She had met some rich man and had gotten pregnant by him. Embry barely saw his sister while she was growing up. They were pretty much cordial strangers. All I knew about her was she lived in Seattle.

_Please tell me I didn't just imprint on my brother's sister._

"Oh," Embry said, finally remembering our presence. He looked at Sue nervously and said, "This is my sister, Kayla Marie. These are the Clearwaters, Leah and Seth, and their mother Sue Swan."

Fuck!

"Nice to meet you," Kayla said politely. My mother smiled stiffly back. Leah made a disgusted noise which made me want to deck her. I just stared at my imprint in a stupor. Somewhere in the distance, I heard Leah start swearing in Quileute. My mom broke down and started to cry. I couldn't figure out what their problem was. All I saw was my Kayla.

"Maggie and Luke are upstairs," Rebecca suddenly stated. "Why don't I show you up to their rooms? Did you find the house okay, by the way? I know you haven't been to La Push before."

"Umm, yeah, it was easy," Kayla Marie responded.

"Oh good," Rebecca said, her voice sounding high. "Well, let's go say hello to the kids."

She grabbed Kayla's hand and dragged her by me. Kayla's body brushed mine and I closed my eyes to savor the moment. The pull I felt toward my imprint was demanding that I follow her, and I started to do so without thought.

That was until Leah's voice shrieked, "You imprinted on your brother's sister? What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"Leah," our mom said. "They aren't related and watch the language."

"It's creepy," Leah muttered.

I frowned. Creepy? How could finding my imprint be creepy?

"They have two separate sets of parents. There's no blood between them." Embry said, though he sounded shaken.

"No blood relation except for you," Leah retorted.

I tried to get my brain to function again. "I…I…"

Fuck it. Speech was overrated anyway. I turned and started making my way towards the stairs. A sharp whack on the back of my head from Leah snapped me out of my trance. I was ready to growl at her. She was getting in the way of me and my imprint. That wasn't going to be tolerated.

"Haven't you forgotten a little something?" my sister said with raised eyebrows. When I looked at her dumbly, she added exasperatedly, "You know, like the fact that you're engaged?"

And just like that, Hayley popped into my head. From the second I laid eyes on Kayla Marie, Hayley had been completely forgotten. Oh God…I was going to hurt her like my sister had been hurt. I _was_ Sam. I looked at her in shame and saw in her eyes that she was thinking the same thing. There was pity on her face, but it wasn't for me. It was for Hayley.

"Oh…" I replied. I realized my body was shaking all over. I was very close to phasing and I spit out, "I need to leave."

I ran for the nearby woods and burst out of my designer suit, leaving it in shreds. I howled out my pain. Seconds later, I felt the pack's Alpha, Nate Uley, inside my head. My emotions were out of control and I couldn't mask anything. I knew he was reading everything that had just happened. Because I was replaying it over and over in my head like a broken record.

_Do you need anything?_ Nate finally asked.

I knew he already had his hands full. The pack had had to deal with a lot of drama recently. We had a new wolf named Sean who was as unstable as his father Paul had been, and there had been a breakout of imprinting amongst the pack. I guess I could add myself to that number.

_Don't worry about that,_ he replied, reading my every thought.

_I don't need anything. Thanks though,_ I finally said.

_Sure. If you do, howl. I'm going to be at Maggie's baptism with my family._

Baptism…Hayley would be there. _Nate, there is one thing._

_Yeah?_

_Could you tell Hayley to meet me at the supply store as soon as she possibly can? And don't tell her about my imprint, please. She needs to hear it from me._

_Uh…sure. _

I felt him phase out and I went home. I changed back into human form and snuck into the back door of my house so people wouldn't see my naked body. I took a quick shower and put on some jeans and a t-shirt. I couldn't even look at myself in the mirror as I got ready. I didn't want to hurt Hayley. I was bleeding inside at the idea. But the pull on my spine demanding that I seek out my imprint was telling me I had no choice. I finally glanced at my reflection.

My face looked pale and haggard. There was also disgust there…disgust for myself. Unable to handle it, I punched the mirror hard. It shattered, cutting into my skin as the glass fell. I took several breaths to calm myself and washed my hands in the sink. I watched with detached interest as the skin healed up on its own.

I left my house and walked over to the store which wasn't that far away. I didn't bother going in. It was probably best if I didn't allow myself to be in enclosed quarters with Hayley. And she was probably going to want to get away from me as soon as possible.

I didn't have to wait long for her to show up. She got out of her car and approached me with a bright smile on her face. I could see her clearly, of course. Most imprinted wolves had the luxury of not seeing women. Women were blurry unless they were in pain, because wolves were only supposed to see their imprints. The exception to the rule was if the woman was an imprint or the child of a wolf because they were too closely linked to the pack.

I could see every detail of Hayley's face and she still smelled wonderful to me. Jared was right. I shouldn't have gotten involved with anyone, much less the daughter of a wolf. But I took it as my punishment. I deserved to live with the pain I was about to cause her.

"Hey baby," Hayley said, coming over to kiss me. I held up my hands and blocked her. She immediately frowned. "What's wrong?"

"Hayley, I'm so sorry," I replied sorrowfully.

"Seth, you're scaring me. Did something happen at Embry's?"

"I imprinted."

Hayley froze. "What did you just say?"

"I imprinted. I'm sorry."

"No," she said in instant rejection. "This isn't happening. You love me. You said you did."

"I do love you," I whispered. "It's just not the same anymore."

"If you love me," Hayley stated, coming over and grasping my face desperately in her hands, "then we can work this out. We can still be together."

I turned my head and kissed her palm before I stepped away from her. Her hands dropped to her sides and she turned away from me.

I tried to make her understand. "You know that's not how it works. Jared and Kim are imprinted. And you know how Devlin is with Hanna." Devlin was Paul and Rachel's oldest son. He'd imprinted on Hayley's twin a few years ago. "You've seen how hard it is on Dev with Hanna being at Julliard. Wolves need to be with their imprints. I can't be with you anymore. Already I'm—"

I stopped speaking and Hayley turned to face me, her eyes flashing. "You're what?"

I swallowed painfully. "I'm already longing to see her again."

Hayley lifted her chin. "Who is she?"

"Embry Call's half sister."

"He doesn't have a half sister," Hayley snapped.

"Yes, he does. She just never comes here. She lives in Seattle."

"So what?" Hayley asked, coming over and poking me in the chest with her index finger. "Are you just going to give up your life here and move to Seattle?"

When I didn't say anything, her face turned disbelieving. "You're seriously thinking of going to Seattle, aren't you? For a fucking bitch you've only known for two seconds."

The wolf inside me snarled angrily at anyone calling my mate a bitch, but I held back the sound. Instead, I repeated stiffly, "I'm sorry."

Hayley shook her head and wiped a tear away that had trickled down her cheek. She looked at me with determination on her face. "Kiss me."

"What?"

"If this is it—if you're going to throw away everything we have—then kiss me goodbye. Make me believe you're over me."

"Hayley—"

She walked over to me and pressed herself against me. My hands automatically went to her waist and she smiled in triumph. She stood on her toes and pressed her lips to mine. Her tongue pushed inside my mouth, and out of habit, mine caressed it back. She moaned in return and I felt her one leg wrap around my waist. She started to grind herself against me and my body went cold.

This felt wrong. Hayley's hand went between us and slipped underneath the waistband of my jeans. I felt her stroke my flaccid member.

"C'mon baby, get hard for me," she murmured against my mouth. A part of me wanted to give in. I didn't want to be like Sam. I didn't want to hurt this woman whose only crime was giving me her heart. But my body didn't react. In fact, I felt repulsed by her touch.

"No!" I snapped, pulling her hand away from me and taking several steps back. "It's over, Hayley."

"It's over, huh?" she said in bitter rejection. "It'll never be over between us."

And then she slapped me hard across the face before she got back into her car. With her tires squealing, she took off out of the parking lot. I waited until she was out of sight, before I collapsed to the ground and broke down.

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><p><strong>End Note<strong>

This story is already written, I just need to find some time to edit the other chapters. But it won't take me too long to update this. I hope you've enjoyed it so far.


	2. Strange Times

If you're reading my other stories, the beginning of this chapter is still on the day of Maggie Call's baptism.

Chapter song: Strange Times by The Black Keys

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><p><strong>Chapter 2 – Strange Times<strong>

Seth's POV

A few hours after I spoke with Hayley, I heard a pounding on my front door. I knew who it was. I'd been mentally preparing myself for his arrival ever since I imprinted. As I pulled my door open, Jared's fist connected with my face.

"You son of a bitch," he yelled. "I told you. I fucking told you to stay away from her. But no. You had to be a cocky shit and say you'd never imprint."

He lunged forward and punched me in the stomach. I did nothing to defend myself as I fell to my knees, landing hard on my front porch. While I was down, Jared hit me again, this time connecting with my eye socket and I saw stars.

"Now you get to move on with your life and your imprint," Jared raged. "And my daughter gets to suffer humiliation and a broken heart."

Out of everyone, Jared had been the most against my relationship with Hayley—and rightfully so. He'd even broken our code about not telling people about the pack in an effort to protect Hayley. He thought if he told her about the wolves and the ramifications of imprinting, it would scare her away. It'd only made her more determined to stay with me.

Somewhere in the distance, I heard vehicles coming to a squealing halt and a couple of car doors opened and slammed. Jared gave me an uppercut to my jaw and my head whipped back. I swayed before my back hit the ground. Damn, for a retired wolf, he packed a punch.

"Enough," Sam's voice said. Through my swollen eye, I could see him wrap his arms around Jared from behind. "He's had enough."

"Fuck you, Clearwater," Jared roared at me. "Don't ever speak to me again like we're friends. Don't ever come near Hayley again."

He was trembling in his fury, and I wondered briefly if he was going to phase for the first time in almost twenty years. If he did, maybe he'd kill me.

"Jared, dude, you gotta calm down," another voice said, this one belonging to Paul.

"He fucked my daughter, got engaged to her despite everyone telling him to leave her the hell alone, and then he imprinted on someone else. Don't tell me to fucking calm down, Paul."

He managed to get out of Sam's grip and push him away. He looked at me with pure hatred. "You selfish prick." And shaking his head in disgust, he walked away shouting behind him, "Remember what I said, Clearwater."

Sam came over to me and carefully examined my face. I heard him swear under his breath as he saw the damage.

"You okay, Seth?"

I looked up at the sky and said, "How did you do it?"

"What?" he asked.

"Get over breaking Leah's heart after you imprinted on Emily."

Sam paused before he whispered, "I never got over hurting your sister."

"Fantastic," I muttered, sitting up with a wince. I wiped away the blood I could feel running down my lip.

"You need any help?" Paul asked.

"No, I'm okay," I said and slowly stood up. I glanced around and asked inanely, "Where's Nate?"

Nate Uley took his role as Alpha seriously. If one of his wolves was getting the shit kicked out of him by another wolf, generally he was right there to stop the mayhem…not that we ever fought.

"Will Samson showed up at the baptism today," Sam explained. Will was one of seven wolves who'd phased right before the Volturi visit years ago. He had retired from the pack awhile ago and moved to Los Angeles where he became a successful talent agent. Sam continued, "He's a single father now, and he decided he wanted to raise his son in La Push. He walked into the church, saw Maggie Call, and imprinted. He hasn't phased in years so he and Nate were making plans for him to spend some time with the Cullens in Vancouver. They're hoping exposure to the leeches will help him start phasing again. I saw Jared leave the party, and Paul and I decided to follow since Jared was in my pack, not Nate's."

I nodded though I felt sickened to hear about another fucked up imprint. I grimaced from the pain the movement caused. "I'm going to take a shower."

"If you need to talk," Sam offered. "I'm here."

"Thanks Sam," I replied, not meeting his eyes. I went back in my house, made it about three steps, and collapsed on the floor. When I woke up a few hours later, the room was dark. I got up from the ground carefully. My entire body felt like it had been beaten with a bat.

And there was a persistent nagging at the base of my spine. I knew what it was. Sighing, I went outside and headed for the woods. As soon as I was covered by the forest, I gave into the imprint and phased, following my connection to Kayla Marie. I arrived at a motel in Forks a few minutes later. I heard Kayla speaking to someone in one of the rooms.

"I'll be right back," she said.

"You be careful out there, Kayla," a woman said. "It's cold out tonight and you know how cold air affects your asthma."

"I know, Mom," Kayla Marie answered in an exasperated tone. My stomach twisted. She had asthma? How bad was it? Obviously bad enough if her mother was concerned about her adult daughter. My protective instincts went into overdrive. I was half tempted to run over to her room and lock her indoors, but I didn't want to freak her out.

She came outside and I stilled as I studied the woman who was my future. A part of me resented the imprint. I had already had my life mapped out, and I'd been perfectly happy with my choice…but I couldn't deny that this girl intrigued me.

She walked to the outdoor soda machine with an unconscious sway to her hips. I watched her head tip to the side, her long mahogany hair tumbling down her one shoulder as she observed the selection. After making her choice, she inserted the required money, hit a button, and grabbed her beverage. She turned so she was facing me as she popped the drink open and took a sip. As she started to pull the bottle away, she paused and looked in my direction, a frown on her beautiful face.

I shrank back into the forest though I knew she couldn't see me. Not taking her eyes off the area I was hiding, she made her way slowly back to her motel room and slipped inside. I stayed where I was for the next couple of hours until I knew Kayla had gone to bed and then I made my way back home.

As I lay in bed that night, I came to the realization that what Hayley said was true. I was going to need to move to Seattle if that's where Kayla was living. I couldn't be separated from her now that I had met her. And as much as I mourned my relationship with Hayley, there was a traitorous part inside me that wanted to see Kayla Marie again. I wanted to hear her speak and to feel her incredible eyes on me. To do that, I was going to need to relocate.

The next morning, I got ready for work and made my way to the garage. Though I was a wolf, my face was still pretty banged up. Quil was already in the office we shared when I arrived. He was sipping his coffee but spit it out when he saw me.

"Jesus," he muttered. "What the hell happened to you? Did you run into a door or something?"

"More like Jared's fist," I replied as I sat down at my computer and fired it up.

"What? Why?"

"You didn't hear? I imprinted yesterday, broke up with Hayley, and Jared rightfully beat the shit out of me with a big fat 'I told you so' on top of it."

"Wow," Quil replied, sitting back in his desk chair. He eyed me carefully. "You don't look too happy to have imprinted."

"I imprinted on a stranger and broke the heart of the girl I love. You're right, I should be jumping for joy," I said sarcastically.

Quil was silent for a moment before he questioned, "Who'd you imprint on?"

"Embry's sister, Kayla Marie."

Quil let out a low whistle. "No kidding. If it's any consolation, she's a great girl." My ears perked up as I absorbed this new information about my imprint. Quil added, "She's really happy and positive. You know, kind of like you used to be."

I rolled my eyes at that. "I grew up. Speaking of Embry, did you hear that he's my dad's bastard child?"

"Whoa…damn, I missed a lot yesterday. I saw Embry at Maggie's baptism, but Claire and I headed for home right after. He didn't say anything to me."

"No, he kept that information to himself for over a year," I said bitterly. "Why would he start telling people now?"

"So…you imprinted on your brother's half sister?"

"Yeah, Leah pointed that out to me, too, thanks," I replied, pinching the bridge of my nose with my fingers. I was getting the mother of all headaches.

"What are you going to do, Seth?" Quil asked quietly.

I sighed as I rested my head on the back of my chair so I could stare at the ceiling. "I don't know."

"Kayla Marie's a college student. She lives in Seattle."

I looked at him sadly and he swore softly.

"When are you going to leave?" he finally questioned.

"As soon as I can make arrangements. I'll need to let Nate know that I'm retiring from the pack effective immediately."

"How are you going to win her over?"

"Don't know. I haven't given it that much thought yet."

Quil chuckled. "That sounds like you. Remember when you left Sam's pack to join Jacob's. You gotta learn impulse control."

"Yeah well, that all worked out for the best. This will too." I said the last part with more confidence than I felt. I frowned as I looked at Quil. "About the garage…I can either be a silent partner or you can take on a new partner. Maybe Azra or Brady since they're going to be family someday." I added this slyly and Quil's eyes turned flinty.

Azra had phased around the same time Will had. He'd imprinted on Quil's infant daughter Natalie a few months before. Brady had imprinted on Quil's other daughter Kayley soon after she was born. Both guys worked for us along with another wolf, Ryan. Quil's girls were under three, and though Quil knew all about imprinting on a child, the idea of his own little girls having soul mates made him go into overbearing papa mode.

"I guess I could see if they'd want to be partners, maybe each splitting your half," Quil finally said. "If that's what you want to do, I mean. It's up to you."

I smiled at him to let him know it was okay. "That's fine. We'll go ahead and talk to them."

After meeting with Brady and Azra where we informed them of my upcoming departure, both guys agreed to buy my shares. Neither of them made a big deal of my imprint which I was grateful for.

I knew I had to tell Nate Uley my plans next, but I held off for a few days. I was still reeling from everything that had happened. And the idea of retiring from the pack wasn't a decision I wanted to rush into. It had been a part of my life for so long.

And as it turned out, it was probably a good thing I waited to tell him. A vampire we'd hunted earlier in the summer reappeared on the scene a few days after I imprinted. He first showed up in Oregon and his presence caused my niece Lilly to phase. She took off up north and ran into Jacob Black's son, Gabe. They took one look at each other and imprinted. Leah wasn't happy about it. Lilly was only twelve, but Gabe was a good guy.

In the chaos of everything that happened, Nate also found out his wife was pregnant. Nate was married to Meena Black-Uley. Meena was Jacob and Renesmee's daughter and Gabe's twin. Nate had imprinted on her shortly after he had become a wolf, and they married once they had graduated high school.

I knew Nate was under a lot of pressure at the moment. He was juggling wolf pack drama, his first year of college, and he was still a newlywed. Now, I was about to add to his list of burdens.

A week after I imprinted, I made my way to Port Angeles where Nate and Meena lived. When I reached their property, I knocked on their front door. Meena answered a few minutes later, her hair pinned up, flour on her cheek.

"Seth, hi. Come on in." She opened the door and I walked by her. "Sorry, I'm such a mess. I'm craving apple pie like you wouldn't believe."

"It's probably the baby," I said with a polite smile. "Your mom got major cravings when she was pregnant with you and Gabe. I don't want to interrupt your baking though. I just stopped by to see Nate."

"He had class this morning, but he should be home anytime. Do you want to wait for him?"

"Sure, thanks," I replied, taking a seat at the kitchen table.

Meena hummed happily as she cut up some apples. I knew she'd been worried that she couldn't get pregnant. She had inherited a lot of vampire traits from her Grandpa Edward including immortality. Carlisle figured if she hadn't gotten pregnant when she did, it probably wouldn't have happened for her. As it was, she was already showing signs of becoming immortal. When that happened, her body would become frozen. She was most likely in for a nasty labor.

"So…" she said as she put the pie in the oven. "I heard you imprinted."

"Yeah," I replied, staring at my folded hands where they rested on the table.

She reached over and squeezed one of my hands before letting go. "I know things seem bleak and hopeless right now, but things will get better. I promise. There's nothing better and more fulfilling in life than being with your imprint."

"I was happy with Hayley," I grumbled.

"You'll be happier with Kayla Marie. Just give it a chance…give _her_ a chance."

"That's what I'm here to see Nate about."

"I figured as much," Meena replied.

Just then, Nate entered the house. He paused as he saw me. "Hi Seth. What's up?"

"I was wondering if we could talk."

"I'll leave you two alone," Meena said, getting up from the table. She went over to Nate and briefly kissed him on the lips before she headed upstairs.

Nate put the backpack he was carrying on the floor and came over to the table. He sat down next to me with wary acceptance on his face.

"You already know what I'm going to say, don't you?" I said.

"I figured you'd retire from the pack someday. And it's for a good reason."

"Nate, if you ever need me, just give me a call."

"Thanks Seth, I appreciate that. But right now, all I want is for you to focus on you. You've been a good friend to Meena's family as well as a loyal member of my pack. It's time for you to get your own happy ending."

"I thought I had it," I muttered.

"You'll know differently once you connect with your imprint. There's nothing like it."

"So I've been told."

Nate smiled at that. "Are you still planning on staying in the area?"

"No, I'm going to move to Seattle. I need to locate Kayla Marie and somehow find a way into her life. And it'll be easier for Jared and Hayley if I'm not around."

"Well…I guess a good place to start with finding out information about your imprint would be with Embry."

I sighed. I knew I'd have to approach Embry sometime, but I couldn't even think about the fact that he was my brother. I had put my father on a pedestal. It killed me to know that he was human after all. And to cheat on my mom! I had thought they'd been so happy together. Now their marriage seemed like a lie.

But Nate had a point. I needed information about Kayla Marie and Embry would be the best person to give it to me.

"I guess I'll talk to him next," I said, standing up.

Nate stood up as well. "If you need anything, you let me know."

"I will."

We looked at each other before briefly hugging. Nate patted me on the back before he stepped away from me.

"It's been an honor having you in my pack. I'm proud to call you my brother."

"You too," I said, feeling choked up. I had been in a pack since I was a teenager. It was truly the end of an era in my life.

I left Nate's house with the promise to keep him updated on when I was leaving. And then I headed for the hospital in Forks. Embry was a doctor and I knew he would probably be on duty right now. I walked into the Emergency Unit and went up to the nurse.

She looked up from her computer and said with a bored expression, "Can I help you?"

"Is Dr. Call on duty?"

"Yes, he is. Are you a patient or do you have an emergency?"

"Uh…no."

"Then I'm sorry, he's very busy today and can't be seen unless you're sick."

With a hesitant breath, I said, "Let him know his brother Seth is here."

The woman's eyes widened as she looked me over more closely. With a slight nod, she picked up the phone and dialed a number. "Dr. Call, there's a man here to see you. He says he's your brother Seth." She listened for a minute and then hung up. "He'll be right out if you want to take a seat."

I thanked her and headed for one of the waiting room chairs. I sat across from a woman sitting in a wheelchair holding a pink bowl. I really hoped she wasn't about to get sick. I didn't do well with vomit.

"Seth," Embry called out. I looked over my shoulder and saw him standing in a doorway wearing a white coat and stethoscope. He waved me over and I got up from my chair, following him down a corridor and into an office.

"Sorry," I said, "I know you're busy."

"That's okay," Embry replied, pointing for me to sit down in one of the office's chairs. One we were situated, he said, "I was a little surprised when the nurse said my brother was here."

I could feel my cheeks becoming heated. "I didn't think she'd let me see you any other way."

Embry observed me for a second before his face became disappointed. "I guess that means you aren't here for some quality bonding time."

I stared down at the floor with a frown. "Look, no offense, but I'm still trying to get used to the idea of us being related. I thought my father was a good man."

"He _was_ a good man," Embry replied. "Your father loved your family very much."

Your father…not 'ours.'

"He was your dad, too." I pointed out, my stomach twisting with the knowledge.

Embry shook his head. "In my case, he was nothing more than a sperm donor."

"Why didn't he let us know?" I muttered.

"Because my mom wouldn't let him. She blackmailed him into keeping quiet—said she'd rat him out to Sue and then take me away from the rez. Your dad cared for me, but you, Leah, and Sue were his whole life."

I eyed Embry carefully. "You seem to be taking this well."

He shrugged. "I've had a year to get used to it. With all that said, why do I get the feeling you're here for another reason?"

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. "I—uh—was sort of hoping you could give me some information about Kayla Marie."

Embry gave me a speculative look. "The truth is, I've only really gotten to know my sister since I married Rebecca last year. Becks is all about establishing family bonds after living away from her family in Hawaii for so long. What I can tell you about Kayla is she's in college and grades are important to her. She started off at the University of Washington, but she switched her major after a semester. She's now going to the Seattle Central Community College."

"What's her major?" I asked.

"She's had horrible asthma all her life. She wanted to help people with the same issue so she's getting an associate's degree in respiratory care. There aren't a lot of schools except for that college to offer her that chosen field." Embry looked thoughtful for a minute before he added, "On a personal level, she's a ball of positive energy. There's very little that gets her down, but she's also a sarcastic little shit."

"That must run in the family," I said, giving Embry a pointed stare and he chuckled. Embry was quiet by nature, but he could outmatch Leah in the sarcasm department.

"So what are you going to do?" Embry asked.

"Move to Seattle," I replied.

"Yeah…that's certainly understandable," he remarked, his face looking older as he said, "The time when Rebecca and I couldn't be together…that was the worst time of my life. You might not understand why you imprinted, but you will."

"Right," I said dryly. Everyone kept saying the same thing. That I would just _love_ being imprinted someday. Well, right now, it felt like absolute shit, thank you very much. I got out of my chair and started heading for the door. "Thanks Embry for the information."

"I can see why you imprinted on her, you know." He spoke up as my hand reached the doorknob. I turned to look at him and he said, "You're a good match."

I gave a grim nod and left. Heading back into the woods, I phased and ran, heading toward Oregon. About an hour later, I showed up at Leah's house.

"Hey," she said in surprise as soon as she saw me. Her youngest son, Julian, came flying into the room, hurtling himself against my leg. I picked him up and snuggled him close before letting him go. Leah's husband Dylan came into the room and patted my shoulder.

"What brings you to Portland?" he asked.

"I have a question for you both."

"Hi Uncle Seth." Henry, Leah and Dylan's middle child, came over to greet me. I gave him a brief hug and mussed his hair affectionately.

"Henry, why don't you and Lian play in your room for awhile," Leah suggested and the boys went down the hall.

"Lilly's not around?" I questioned.

"She's in her room," Leah answered as we sat down in the living room.

"How's she doing?" I asked.

"She's still trying to adjust to being a wolf, but it's only been a few days," Leah said. "Gabe came over for dinner last night, and though she ignored him, his presence seemed to soothe her."

"The joys of imprinting," I grumbled.

I felt Dylan's eyes on me. "What's up, Seth?"

I rubbed the back of my neck. "I spoke to Embry earlier. Kayla Marie is a college student enrolled in a specific program. She's going to be living in Seattle until she graduates so I've decided to move there to be closer to her."

"You talked to Embry?" Leah asked, not meeting my eyes.

"Yeah," I said. "I take it you haven't spoken to him yet?"

"Not yet," Leah muttered and Dylan wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her to his side.

An awkward silence fell between us and Dylan finally said, "What did you want to ask us?"

"I need a place to stay and I was wondering if I could use your condo until I can get a place of my own."

Leah and Dylan had lived in Seattle for years before Leah moved to Portland to open up her second spa. I knew they had kept their place in Seattle after they moved because Leah still went back there on occasion for business purposes.

"What about the house in La Push?" Leah asked. "Mom's living at Charlie's and if you're not there, who's going to look after it?"

I paused. "I guess we could sell it and turn the upstairs storage room at the store into an apartment for when we come back to visit."

"Sell the house?" Leah paled. "That's our family home. We grew up there."

I ran my hand through my hair in frustration. "Leah, what am I supposed to do? I _have_ to be near my imprint. I already feel on edge and unsettled because I haven't seen her in over a week. I need to be near her. If no one is living there, it's not a home anyway. It's just a vacant house. And I'd rather have a family in it, taking care of the place and loving it, then leaving it abandoned."

Leah turned her head, but I saw her wipe at her cheeks before she muttered, "Fine. We'll talk to Mom and as long as she's willing, we'll put the house up for sale."

"Thank you. So can I stay at your place?"

"Yeah, that's fine," Dylan answered. "Stay as long as you need to."

"What about the pack?" Leah asked. "Did you retire?"

I nodded, still feeling panged over that decision. Even though Leah hated being a wolf, she seemed to understand what I was going through. She came over and gave me a hug.

"If your imprint gives you any trouble, let me know and I'll come kick her ass. I want you to be happy, Seth."

I felt choked up as I hugged my sister back.

A month after I imprinted, I moved into Leah's condo with the help of my pack brothers. It was a relief to leave La Push. It seemed like every time I turned around, Hayley was there either pleading with me, crying, or yelling at me. And if I ever saw Jared or Kim, they either ignored me or shot me dirty looks.

My first order of business after arriving in Seattle was to connect with my imprint. I figured the best way to do that was to enroll in the same college as her. I was able to bribe a student who worked in the admissions office and I attained Kayla's school schedule. I then signed myself up for a couple of her general elective classes.

When the beginning of the winter semester finally started, I was ready to crawl out of my skin. I had avoided stalking Kayla Marie by that point, but I was more than ready to see my imprint.

I just hoped everything would go as happily as everyone told me it would.

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><p>Let me know what you thought!<p> 


	3. Strange Brew

Chapter Song: Strange Brew by Cream

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><p><strong>Chapter 3 – Strange Brew<strong>

On the first day of classes, I spent a great deal of time in front of my closest trying to decide what to wear. I had one class with my imprint today, which was scheduled every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I also had a biology class with her in the mornings on Tuesdays and Thursdays with a lab in the afternoons. I wanted to look impressive so I pulled on my designer jeans and shirt—not that Kayla would probably even notice. From what I'd been able to learn about her father, he was well off. She probably grew up accustomed to luxury.

I combed my hair until it gleamed and gargled until my breath was minty fresh. When I was finally ready for the day, I looked at myself in the mirror and shook my head.

"What are you doing, Clearwater?" I muttered, feeling tense.

Hayley had called several times since I moved, though I'd let the calls go into voicemail. Every time I saw her name flash on my caller ID it was like salt being poured into an open wound. A part of me really missed her. I missed her companionship. And to be honest, I missed the sex.

But as I left the condo and headed to my first class, I knew I was doing the right thing. I knew because of the eager anticipation coursing through my veins. Sometime in the next ten minutes I was going to see Kayla Marie again. As I entered my classroom and sat down, I tried to appear as casual as possible.

Shit…what if she didn't sit next to me! What if she walked right by and didn't even notice me. I should have come in late. Then I could have sat next to her whether she liked it or not.

"Seth?" A voice interrupted my panicked thoughts and my head shot up.

And there she was. Her long dark hair was pulled into a sloppy bun on top of her head. She wasn't wearing any makeup, and she had on leggings matched with a large sweatshirt that sexily hung off one shoulder. I felt like an overdressed moron compared to her. But there was something so refreshing about her appearance. Every girl I'd been with always dressed to impress me. Even Hayley woke me up most mornings with her appearance and makeup perfect. I frowned as I swiftly slammed the door on that train of thought. Kayla, seeing the frown, instantly became embarrassed.

"I'm sorry," she said with her forehead wrinkling adorably. "I thought you were someone I knew."

"You do," I replied, forcing myself to concentrate. "Sorry, my mind was somewhere else." I held out my hand to her. "I'm Seth and you're Kayla Marie Adams, right?"

"That's right," she said with a smile that beamed and my breath momentarily caught in my throat. Damn…this girl was beautiful. She took my hand and said, "Wow, you have really warm skin. Embry's the same way. He said it's from a genetic condition some people have on your rez. Mind if I sit there?" She looked at the empty seat next to me.

"Uh…sure," I replied. _Real smooth, dumbass. Make sure you continue to wow her with your stellar conversation._

Kayla sat down and I caught a whiff of her coconut scent. She bent over to put her satchel on the floor and I found myself leaning with her so I could continue to breathe her in. She sat up and I jerked back in place a little too quickly. I saw her glance at me with a frown before her face turned to polite indifference.

"So Seth, Embry tells me you're his half brother."

"Yeah, I just found out a little while ago."

"He said you two don't talk much," Kayla stated, looking at me in disapproval. I squirmed in my seat like a chastised schoolboy. Thanks Em for throwing me under a friggin' bus.

True I hadn't hung with Embry very much before I left, but that wasn't completely my fault. He had the new baby, his family, his daughter's imprinter, and his busy career to take up his time. I had the sale of my house and the reconstruction of the store's storage room to deal with.

"We've both been busy," I replied defensively. "But we have hung out a few times." Which was also true…though the pack was there the entire time and we barely talked.

"I'm glad," she said, giving me a bright smile that made my heart stop for a second. "Embry's a good guy. He and our mom never had the easiest relationship, and since he's eighteen years older than me, I never got to see him very much when I was growing up. I know he's close to his friends, but I've always gotten the feeling he's felt like an outsider a lot of his life. It must have been a relief for him to know that the people he grew up loving were actually related to him."

And didn't that just make me feel like a guilty pile of shit. Not knowing what to say, I just smiled.

When it was obvious I wasn't going to talk about Embry, she tactfully changed the subject, "I didn't know that you lived in Seattle."

"I just moved here," I replied. I had this speech planned just in case she asked me this little detail. "I figured it was time to get myself an education. And since I haven't been to school in years, I thought I'd try taking some classes at the community college and see how I liked it."

"How old are you?" she asked curiously.

"Uh…almost thirty-six," I told her honestly.

"Wow," she said, her forehead furrowing. "I would never have guessed. You look like you're in your mid-20s."

Of course I did. I had been chronologically frozen for the past two decades.

"How old are you?" I asked, though I knew she was nineteen. I just wanted to hear her speak.

"Nineteen," she confirmed. "What made you decide to come to Seattle? Don't they have a community college in Port Angeles?"

Well…shit. Wasn't expecting that question. "Uh…yeah, they do. But I felt like a change of scene."

She looked at me and I saw concern in her eyes. "You know…I don't want to be rude or anything, but you look different than the last time I saw you."

"How so?" I asked, getting distracted by the green flecks in her hazel eyes.

"I don't know," she said softly. "But its right here…"

Her thumb came out and brushed the area of flesh beside my eye. A million tiny sparks shot over my skin where she touched and I closed my eyes. The pain and emptiness I'd been feeling lately dissipated, and I felt almost lighted-headed in relief.

"There's so much sadness in your eyes," she whispered. I forced my eyelids back up so that I could stare at her. The room went out of focus, voices became muffled, and all I saw was her.

"Class, if I could have your attention…" A firm voice spoke from the front of the room.

Whatever spell had been surrounding us quickly broke. Kayla pulled her hand away from me and turned her gaze toward our professor. And just like that, the loneliness returned, though it wasn't as bad as before she had touched me. I sat through the lecture, my body angled slightly toward my imprint. After class ended, we walked out of the room together.

"So what happened?" she asked as she swung her bag onto her shoulder. "What put the sadness there?"

I shrugged. "I guess it was a combination of things." And because I suddenly found myself wanting to tell her everything, I said, "A part of it was finding out my father was unfaithful. Another part is knowing how badly he neglected Embry while he was always there for my sister and me."

"Oh," Kayla replied.

I looked at her questioningly before saying dryly, "You sound disappointed. Isn't that enough?"

She let out a little laugh. "I'm sorry. I thought maybe you had girl problems or something. I was preparing myself mentally to give you some sound advice into the inner workings of the female mind. This however—" She waved her hand in my direction—"This I can't help you with except to tell you that our brother is happy now."

I really hated how she said 'our brother.' It made our imprint feel almost incestuous.

I looked down at the floor as I said, "Well…I also just ended things with my fiancée."

She reached out and briefly squeezed my arm. I felt her touch all the way to my toes. "I'm sorry, Seth. Is there any chance of reconciliation?"

I looked at the petite woman in front of me. Winter light was filtering through a nearby window, giving her mahogany hair a brilliant sheen. I slowly shook my head.

"No. There's no chance we'll get back together."

"Babe!" a male voice called out. I continued to stare at Kayla Marie thinking the man was going to bypass us. Instead, he came to a halt and wrapped his arm around her waist. My inner wolf raised its head menacingly and barred its teeth.

"Hi," Kayla said right before the man kissed her. Jealousy shot through me. A possessive streak I didn't even realize I had was currently fighting with my conscience. I wanted to grab my imprint and claim what was mine.

The man turned to face me. He was an All-American, blond haired, blue eyed jackass. He was shorter than me by several inches and though he was obviously lean, he was the type who'd have a beer gut by the time he was thirty.

"Who's this, babe?" he asked snidely and I resisted the urge to deck him.

"Sorry," Kayla Marie replied. "Seth, this is my boyfriend Aaron." Boyfriend…what the serious fuck! "Aaron, this is my—err—I guess you could call him my brother."

Yeah, I was nipping that shit in the bud right now. "Nope, actually we're not related. Not at all. We share the same brother, but we have two _completely_ different sets of parents."

I emphasized my point for Kayla Marie's benefit as well as the All-American Asshole's. Kayla's cheeks flushed slightly. The douche's eyes narrowed into a glare.

_That's right, bitch. Enjoy it while you can because I'll be the one who ends up with her._

And if I had to fight dirty, I would.

"We should get going," Aaron stated and Kayla nodded.

"I'll see you on Wednesday, Seth," she said.

I couldn't very well tell her we had class tomorrow because I needed to pretend like I didn't have her complete schedule memorized.

"See you later then," I said, making my voice sound like a promise.

Aaron wrapped his arms even firmer around my imprint and they headed outside. I went to my next class which was in the building over, fighting the urge to phase the entire time. I sat down in my chair and swore when I noticed my hands were shaking. I really wished that brother of mine would have given me the heads up about Kayla Marie having a boyfriend.

Luckily for me, the professor started the class and I found myself sucked into the lecture without knowing it. If there was one thing I was truly grateful for, it was that Jacob insisted I continue my education even after I joined his pack. Granted, it was hypocritical of him considering he had dropped out, earning a degree years later. But he made sure I put my education first, pack duties second. And I'd always liked school.

After my class ended, I grabbed a quick lunch and then headed for my final class of the day. Once classes were over, I headed for home and called Embry.

"Hey, how's it going with Kayla Marie?" he asked as soon as he heard my voice.

"I need details," I said, cutting to the chase. "How long has she been dating the dipshit?"

I thought I heard Embry chuckle but he said, "They've been off and on since high school. The thing is…"

When Embry paused I asked, "What?"

"She just moved in with him."

I swallowed over the lump that had suddenly formed in my throat. "Is it that serious?"

"Who knows," he replied.

"Embry…what am I going to do?" I asked.

He was silent for a second before I heard him say, "You'll find your way. In the meantime, I can tell you that she and Aaron only reconciled a few months ago. She's also a vegetarian, and her favorite restaurant is this bistro called _In The Bowl_. It's near the school."

I grabbed a pen and paper and wrote the name down. "Thanks Embry, I appreciate it."

"Just…treat her right. If Aaron is what she wants, respect that, okay?"

"If he's what she wants, then I'll have no choice," I reminded him.

"Seth," Embry replied with a touch of annoyance in his tone. "You've been my friend for years, before I even knew we were related, so I'm going to be blunt. If you keep looking at this imprint as a punishment, you're never going to win her. For fuck's sake, where's the positive guy I knew who befriended a leech?"

I ignored this and said, "Thanks for everything, Embry. I'll let you get back to your life."

"Fine. Keep me posted, all right?"

"Will do," I said. I owed it to him after he gave me inside information.

The next day I tapped into my imprint connection as I headed for class. I knew exactly where Kayla Marie was so when she arrived outside the classroom, I conveniently arrived at the same time.

"Hi!" she said in surprise when she saw me. She asked in a light tone, "Are you stalking me or something?"

I let out a nervous laugh that sounded weird even to my own ears. When I spoke, my voice was higher than normal. "Stalk? No, of course not. Why would you think—?"

She put her hand on my arm and I immediately stopped rambling. She smirked at me. "Relax Seth. I was just joking."

"Oh…right."

We walked into the room together. As we sat down, she said, "So I take it you're in this class too?"

"Yep," I replied. "I'm taking this as part of my general electives."

"What's your major?" she asked.

"Business." No need to tell her I was a millionaire thanks to Alice Cullen's investing tips and my own natural ability to know a good deal when I saw it. Kayla didn't seem to care about monetary things anyway. She was dressed casually again, this time in jeans, a long sweater and winter boots meant for comfort not style. Her hair was slung back in a ponytail. I really, _really_ wanted to see if it was as silky as it looked, but I resisted the temptation of touching it.

I didn't want her to know how truly accurate her stalker comment was so I played dumb and asked, "What's your major?"

"I'm getting my degree in respiratory care."

"I see you're like Embry, pursuing a career in the medical field."

She smiled. "Pretty much."

I wanted to know more about her asthma so I questioned, "What made you decide to major in that?"

And because Kayla Marie seemed to be the most open and honest person I had ever met, she replied, "I've had asthma since I was a kid. Nothing sucks worse than not being able to breathe, and I want to help other people who are put in the same position."

"Is that what it's like to have asthma? You can't breathe?" I asked, feeling protective.

"It's like oxygen becomes your enemy. You need it, but it chokes you because your airway becomes constricted. Sometimes I have horrible coughing fits where I can't catch my breath. No matter how hard I cough, there's no relief."

"What do you do to control it?"

She paused before reaching into her bag and pulling out a small inhaler. "This is my best friend. I don't have attacks as often as I used to, but whenever I have problems, I use this. Well, my inhaler and a strong cup of coffee also helps."

"Coffee?"

"It's how they used to treat asthma back in the olden days. Caffeine helps, though I certainly wouldn't rely on it when I'm having an attack."

"What triggers an attack?" I questioned, thinking maybe I could prevent her from being exposed to whatever causes her problems.

"Oh, it can be a number of things. Too much pollen in the air. Mold, tobacco, smoke, cold weather. I once even had an attack when I was really upset about something. My lungs closed up and I had to get the inhaler out."

I stared at her in amazement. She really was something. Kayla could have blamed her asthma for whatever problems she struggled with in her life, but instead she was turning it into something positive. She was going into a field that would help people who had breathing problems like her.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" she asked self-consciously.

"You're kind of amazing," I blurted out and her cheeks reddened.

The professor started the class at that moment, which ended the awkward silence that had sprung between us. The lecture was an hour and a half long. We were then supposed to have an hour off before the lab part of the class started.

After the lecture was over, I said, "Do you want to grab some lunch?"

She eyed me for a second before she replied, "Sure."

"Great," I said eagerly. "There's this place Embry told me about called _In The Bowl_. It's not far from here."

Her hazel gaze narrowed as she said, "He told you about that restaurant, huh? I hope our dear brother isn't trying to play matchmaker. Because Seth, I have a boyfriend."

At least she was loyal.

"I'm flattered that your mind went right there," I said in a dry tone. "But I was just thinking we could have a platonic lunch. I don't know many people in Seattle, and as you pointed out yesterday we are _family_, in a manner of speaking."

I inwardly cringed from the pain my white lie caused me. Wolves were supposed to be nothing but truthful with our imprints. But it was worth it.

Especially when she replied, "Oh," and her cheeks filled with that beautiful red color again. "Well, in that case, lunch would be great. Thanks."

The bistro wasn't that far and we ended up walking there. Kayla kept up a steady stream of conversation, drawing me out of my protective shell and asking a lot of questions about my life in La Push. She was like a never ending stream of energetic light and I felt myself completely entranced by her.

After we ordered our food and sat down, she asked, "Are you a vegetarian?"

"Uh…" Shit, how to answer this. I figured I might as well be honest. "No, but I don't mind eating meatless meals on occasion."

"Ah," she said as she dipped her soy chicken nuggets into some barbeque sauce. I bit into my garden burger and discovered it wasn't as disgusting as I thought it'd be.

"Is that good?" I asked as she polished off one nugget and grabbed another.

"Mmhmm, I love soy. I became a vegetarian a few years ago. It's kind of become a staple in my diet."

"What made you decide to become a vegetarian?" I wondered curiously.

She looked at me in embarrassment. "It's really stupid."

"I doubt anything you've done is stupid," I replied and watched her stiffen. _Damn…cool it with the flattery, Clearwater. _

"Well, this is," she responded. "I wish I could say I gave up meat for a noble reason like animal rights or something like that. But no, I was guilted into it by a chicken."

I was in the process of bringing my burger up for a bite, but paused to look at her. "You're going to have to explain that one."

She rolled her eyes before grabbing another nugget. "When I was a junior in high school, my class won a competition at school—you know, one of those, which grade has more spirit kind of things. Anyway, we went to this farm where they gave us cider and we got to pick pumpkins for Halloween. My classmates ended up going on a hayride, but I couldn't go because of my asthma." My heart broke for her a little at that. "I spent the next hour walking around the farm, and before I knew it there was this chicken following me everywhere. It didn't try to attack me or anything. It kept watching me and cocking its head. When I held my hand out to it, she even rubbed her body against my palm like a pet dog. I finally said, 'I will never eat one of you again.' And since I wasn't a big red meat eater to being with, I gave up meat entirely. Strange, right?"

I was trying very hard not to laugh. "More like ridiculously endearing."

"You know," she said after she ate another nugget. "You're the only person who knows the truth. I tell most people it's for animal rights."

"You're secret is safe with me," I promised and Kayla grinned. I asked, "So do you have a problem if other people eat meat in front of you?"

"Nah, eat what you want," she replied before glancing at her watch and saying, "I guess we should head back or we'll be late for lab."

"Okay," I replied reluctantly. I couldn't remember a time where I'd ever enjoyed a meal so much. I didn't want it to end.

"We should do this again sometime," Kayla suggested as we walked outside.

I felt like some invisible weight lifted off my shoulder as I said, "Sounds good."

And so…that's what we did for the rest of the semester. We had our classes and every Tuesday we ate lunch together. We even started spending time with each other on the weekends when she wasn't out with the All-American Asshole. The more time I spent with my imprint, the more addicted I became to her. Though Hayley still phoned me, which always put me into a depression, I was already beginning to forget her face. In only a few short months, Kayla Marie became the very center of my world.

I was pretty positive she was feeling it as well. Her face seemed to brighten whenever she saw me—or maybe that was just wishful thinking on my part. But if there was one thing I had learned over the years when it came to women, it was the art of body language, and Kayla showed all the signs of being interested in me. She was always finding reasons to touch me or lean against me. More often than not, our hands would brush each others as we walked down a hall together. She was feeling our connection as deeply as I was.

So it caught me as a complete surprise when she missed our biology lecture one Tuesday morning. When I got out of class, I pulled out my phone to give her a call. It was unlike her to miss class, especially as we were nearing the end of the semester. When I glanced at the phone's screen, I noticed I had a text message.

_Meet me at In The Bowl. K. _

Already eager to see my imprint, I practically ran to the bistro. Kayla Marie was waiting for me when I got there with our food already ordered. My eyes skimmed quickly over her, but I didn't see any traces of illness on her face.

"Hi," I said as I sat across from her. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she replied giddily. "In fact, I'm better than fine."

She flashed me her left hand and I froze as I stared at the engagement ring that sat on her slim finger. It shimmered in the light of the restaurant, mocking me in all its glory.

"Aaron proposed last night and I accepted! Can you believe it? I'm engaged."

"No, I really can't," I answered numbly as I stared unblinkingly at the ring. I felt like I had been kicked in the balls and punched in the stomach simultaneously at the same time.

"I wanted to tell you before anyone else, because…I don't know, you've sorta become my best friend, Seth," Kayla gushed. "I've got so much to do. I think my dad can pull some strings so Aaron and I can get married in the church I grew up in, and we'll probably have the reception at my parents' house. I want to keep it small, but Aaron wants something flashy and…" She paused as she finally noticed I wasn't jumping for joy. "Are you all right?"

"Kayla, are you sure this is what you really want?" I asked, my voice strained. "Are you sure it's _Aaron_ you want?"

She sat back in her chair and folded her arms across her chest. "I know you aren't a huge fan of Aaron's, but he's very sweet. This is a decision I feel confident in."

"I see," I replied slowly.

"Seth," she said, her voice changing to caution. "We are _friends_, right? I mean, that's all you feel for me?"

"And if I told you I was in love with you?" I questioned…because it was true.

I didn't even realize it until I saw that goddamn engagement ring, but in the few months I had known her, Kayla Marie had become my life. And not just because she was my imprint. She made me feel complete. The emptiness I'd been feeling since my dad died didn't exist when I was around her. I needed her, and now I was losing her before we even had a chance to begin.

"If you're in love with me, then I think having lunch like this is a mistake," she stated. She started to leave and I put my hand on her arm to stop her from standing.

"I just think you shouldn't rush into this."

"Why?" Kayla asked angrily.

"Because…" But I didn't have a good enough reason. And as she was my imprint, I knew I should be selflessly putting her wants and needs before my own. I just couldn't.

"Look," she said. "I know you're still hurting from your broken engagement, but I'm making the right decision. I love Aaron."

As much as it pained me, I let go of her arm and said, "Then I'm happy for you. So when's the big day?"

She told me some more details, but with less enthusiasm than when she told me about the engagement. I felt terrible for that. She had been so excited to tell someone her news, and I ruined it by acting like a petulant baby whose favorite toy had been taken away.

"Are you doing anything this weekend?" she asked. "I was thinking of looking at dresses. I know that's not really something that would interest a guy, but would you want to come?"

"I can't," I said and her face turned sad again. "I'm going to La Push this weekend. It's my mom's birthday."

"Oh," she said before her face lightened. "Are you driving or flying?"

"Flying."

"Mind if I come along? I can tell Embry my news."

"If you can get a ticket, that'd be fine," I said. I gave her my flight information and then told her we needed to go to our lab class. She decided to skip it so she could tell her parents about her engagement.

That night, Kayla called and told me she was able to get a ticket. A few days later, I picked her up from her apartment, and we headed to the airport. When we got there, I was able to pull some strings and get her seat bumped up to first class so she could sit with me. She read a wedding magazine the whole time, making notes on a pad of paper whenever she found something interesting. Though I made small talk, her mind was preoccupied…or she was still pissed over how I'd reacted to her news. Our conversations in the couple of classes we'd had together this past week had been nowhere near as relaxed as they'd been before I opened my big mouth. When we landed, I rented a car and drove her to Embry's where she was staying for the weekend. She got out of the car and barely said goodbye to me as she grabbed her overnight bag.

I got out of the car as she made her way to the front door. "Kayla!"

She paused, then slowly turned to face me.

I walked over to her and took her cheeks in my hands. "I'm sorry for how I reacted when you told me about the engagement the other day. I…I just want you to be happy."

"I am," she insisted, though she didn't meet my eyes. There was something in the way she avoided my gaze that gave me hope.

"Are you sure about that?" I questioned softly, my thumbs running back and forth over her cheekbones.

"Yes," she said stubbornly, still not looking at me.

"So if I kissed you right now, you would be completely indifferent to it?"

Her face shot up at that and I was finally looking into her beautiful eyes.

"I wouldn't feel a thing," she said rebelliously.

I bent my head so my lips were mere inches from her mouth. "I accept that challenge."

And with that my lips met the softness of hers. At first, it was innocent enough. Just a light brush of our mouths. But she gasped and I took advantage of the moment and slipped my tongue between her parted lips. Then I was lost.

She tasted like honey and sweetness, and I knew I was going to crave her for the rest of my life. My hands lets go of her cheeks so that I could wrap my arms around her. It was enough to make Kayla snap out of the delicious haze we were both in, and she pushed at my chest, breaking our body contact.

"You try that again and we're through," she said, her breasts heaving.

"Why are you pretending there's nothing between us?" I asked in frustration.

She ignored me and knocked on the door. I could hear Embry's son Luke running through the house.

"You know there's something between us," I stated lowly. "Ignoring it won't make it go away."

The door opened and Rebecca answered, holding her daughter Maggie in one arm, while restraining Luke with her other hand.

"Kayla, hi! Oh, hey Seth. Come on in," Rebecca said, stepping back. "Embry's still at the hospital, but his shift should be ending soon."

"Thanks Becks," I said, "But I'm going to head over to the store. I haven't been there since they redid the upper floor and I want to see how the apartment came out."

"It looks good. Your mom showed me around the other day," she replied as Kayla Marie walked inside the house without a glance at me.

"Great," I remarked, my eyes following my imprint. "Kayla, I'll pick you up tomorrow evening."

"It's okay," she said, still not looking at me. "I'm sure Embry will give me a ride to the airport."

I gritted my teeth and nodded, leaving her and a baffled Rebecca behind as I got in my car and left. As I drove, I took several deep breaths to calm myself. I was going to have to come up with a game strategy. I was a reasonably smart guy. There had to be a better way to win my imprint.

I parked outside the _Clearwater Supply Store_. Stairs had been added to the side of the building which led up to the apartment, but I went through the store instead. I hadn't been there in awhile, and I wanted to check how things were going. Paul and Rachel's oldest son Devlin Wakeh was stocking shelves when I walked in. He was also a wolf and Nate Uley's beta. He had recently turned sixteen so my mother gave him a job helping out in the store.

"Hey Seth!" he said as soon as he saw me. He came over and gave me a brief hug. "How's it going, man?"

"Good, just in town for my mom's birthday. Is she around?"

"She had to go to the post office."

"Ah," I replied. "So how are things going for you? How's the pack?"

"Things are good. Sean's really becoming a great wolf," Devlin said, looking proud as he spoke of his baby brother.

"And how are things with Hanna?" I asked carefully. Hanna was Devlin's imprint. She was also Hayley's twin.

Dev shifted uncomfortably, as if the topic was just as awkward for him as it was for me. "She's good. Her first year of Julliard is almost done, so she'll be home soon. Will Samson already has her booked to perform at some concerts around here."

Hanna was gaining a reputation as a pianist. Though Will Samson was currently a wolf and dealing with imprinting on Maggie, he was also Hanna's talent agent.

"That's great," I said. "Listen, when my mom gets back, let her know that I'm upstairs in the apartment."

"Sure," Devlin replied, going back to stocking.

I went into the backroom and headed up the stairs located there. I entered the apartment, breathing in the fresh paint/new carpet smell. Everything was exactly how I'd wanted it to be. Sam and Paul worked for Jared doing construction work, but they had done the apartment in their spare time. If I'd given Jared the contract, he probably would have burned the place down.

I had just set my suitcase on the bed when I heard a knock on the new door that had been added to the exterior. Thinking it was my mom, I went over and opened it without hesitation. Hayley was on the other side.

"Hi," she said. "Long time no see."

"Hey," I replied cautiously.

She stepped into the room without invitation. "This place looks great. Paul and Sam did a nice job."

"What are you doing here, Hayley?" I asked.

She turned to face me and as I inspected her face closer, I saw new lines on her skin and dark circles under her eyes. Sharp pain shot through me. I was the cause of that.

"You wouldn't answer my calls," Hayley said, responding to my question. "And I was walking through town, heard a rumor you were back, and decided to stop by and see you."

"Hayley, there's no point of you being here," I remarked. "I told you before it's hopeless."

"And I told you before, I wasn't giving up on us."

She walked slowly toward me and I stepped backwards until my back was against the wall.

"Hayley, I'm so sorry for the hurt I've caused you, but I love her," I whispered.

"You love her?" Hayley retorted, her eyes flashing with anger. "Have you ever seen her like this?"

She tore off her shirt and of course she wasn't wearing a bra. It was a game we used to play. We'd go out somewhere and she wouldn't wear any undergarments. It didn't matter where we were. The theater. A restaurant. I liked easy access to her body so that I could play with her. If I got her to orgasm in public then I won our game, and she'd have to do any sexual favor I wanted. If she didn't react, then I treated her in the bedroom. More times than not, I won.

"Don't you miss this, Seth?" she asked, touching her breasts with her hands. "Don't you miss me?"

She came towards me until her body was pressed to mine.

"I do miss you…I miss our friendship," I mumbled. "But I _love_ her."

"You're lying!" she stated right before she kissed me. The sweetness of Kayla's mouth from earlier was replaced with the bitterness of Hayley's.

I reached up to push her off me just as I heard a gasp. I turned my head to see Kayla standing in the doorway looking horrified.

"I-I'm sorry to interrupt," she said, her chest rising and falling rapidly.

"Oh, that's okay," Hayley replied. She sauntered over to Kayla Marie without even bothering to cover her naked breasts as she said, "I'm Hayley, by the way. Seth's fiancée."

Kayla Marie looked at me with stricken eyes before she ran out the exterior door. I heard her clambering down the stairs.

Hayley turned to me with satisfaction on her face. "Now that that's taken care of." She walked over and drew her shirt over her head and casually fluffed out her hair.

I looked at her incredulously. "Why?"

"You're a bastard, Seth. You deserve to suffer after treating me like trash. I did some research after you left and saw a picture of the girl you replaced me with. When I saw her walking in this direction, I was hoping she was headed this way. Lucky me." She faced me with absolute loathing on her face. "I wish you nothing but misery."

She headed for the exit, but stopped when I asked, "Do you wish the same thing for your parents?"

"What are you talking about?" she snapped.

"Your parents are imprints. You once told me they were the perfect couple in your eyes, right?"

"So?"

I walked over to her with anger in each step I took. She shrank away from me.

"So…Kayla Marie and I have what your parents have. And you just got in the way of that because for once in your spoiled life, you didn't get your way. Instead of growing up and moving on, you had to act like a kid throwing a tantrum. What if someone got in between your parents? What if someone did their best to sabotage their relationship?" I watched with satisfaction as her face paled. "Once upon a time Hayley, I thought you were a fantastic person. And I blame myself for the empty shell I see before me. But maybe someday, you'll find yourself again. Because right now…I don't even recognize you."

I walked past her and ran down the outside stairs. Hopping into my car, I followed the pull to my imprint. As I drove, I saw a figure sitting on the side of the wet road, their shoulders bunched over. My heart leaped when I realized it was Kayla Marie. I jumped out of my car and ran to her. Even from a distance, I could hear a strange whistling coming out of her.

"Kayla!" I shouted. She started to crawl away from me. "Kayla, please."

She sat up and faced me as I hunched down next to her. Her lips were a violet color, her cheeks flushed in her otherwise unnaturally pale face. Her breath was labored, the wheezing noise getting worse.

"Where's your inhaler?" I asked, panicked.

She shook her head and started coughing. Without hesitation, I picked her up and carried her over to the passenger seat of my car. I hurried to the driver's side and put in my Bluetooth headset. Racing down the road, I called Embry and continuously swore under my breath as I waited for him to pick up.

"Hello?" I finally heard.

"It's Seth. I've got Kayla Marie with me. She's having an asthma attack and I don't think she has her inhaler on her."

"Bring her in," he ordered firmly.

"Already on my way," I replied.

"Okay, I'll be waiting for you both."

We ended the call and a few minutes later, I pulled into Forks Hospital. At this point, Kayla's lips had started to turn blue.

"Hold on, honey," I whispered as I grabbed her and ran toward the building.

Embry was already waiting for me with a couple of nurses. I placed her on the gurney they had and we rushed inside.

"Seth, you wait out here," Embry ordered as he took Kayla Marie back to the Emergency Care area.

For the next hour, I paced. I couldn't sit still, nor could I stop blaming myself. If only I hadn't gotten into a fight with her earlier. If only I had kicked Hayley out as soon as she showed up. If only I had gone after Kayla Marie right away instead of getting into with Hayley.

_If only…if only…if only…_

Finally Embry came out, his face grim. I hurried over to him. "Is she okay?"

"We have her hooked up to a nebulizer. It's a machine that shoots medicated mist into her lungs. We also have her on an IV and we're treating her with steroids to lessen the swelling in her air path. What I don't understand is what she was doing without her inhaler? She never goes anywhere without it."

"I don't know," I said, feeling queasy.

Embry came over and clamped a hand on my shoulder. "We're going to move her soon to a private room. She'll need to be here for a couple of days, but you can go and see her in a little bit. Just keep in mind she's pretty weak right now. Don't wear her out."

"I won't," I promised.

When I was given permission to see Kayla, I entered the room quietly. She had a mask on her face, an IV attached to her arm, and I ached just looking at her.

I sat in a chair beside her bed and because I needed to feel her—because I needed to reassure myself that she was alive and okay—I reached out and took her hand in mine. Kayla's eyes fluttered open.

"Hi," she said, her voice muffled with the mask on.

"Hi," I replied. "I'm so sorry for what you walked in on. It wasn't what you probably thought. Hayley was pissed at me because I told her I didn't want her back. She was trying to hurt me by being cruel to you."

"It's okay," Kayla Marie murmured. "None of my business."

That statement hurt me as much as seeing my imprint in a hospital bed.

"Where was your inhaler?" I asked.

Kayla's eyelids fluttered close. "Forgot it. Was mad."

"At me?"

She nodded. I brought her hand up and pressed my lips to the back of it. Her eyelids opened up in surprise.

"I'm sorry I was a dick. I'll make it up to you," I said. When she looked at me in confusion, I stated, "I'm going to help you with your wedding."

I once saw it in a movie that Hayley had forced me to watch. The guy helped his best friend plan her wedding while being in love with her. And he got the girl in the end.

"Will you accept my offer?" I asked when she didn't say anything.

"'Kay," she finally replied before her eyes slowly closed and she was fast asleep.

I stood up and leaned over her. When I was near her face, I asked, "Kayla, can you hear me?"

When she didn't reply and her breathing didn't change indicating she was conscious, I whispered, "I love you."

I pressed my lips to her forehead and pulled away. "And if we don't end up together, I'm still going to make sure you get the wedding of your dreams."

With that, I turned and walked out of the room.

* * *

><p><strong>End Note<strong>

LOL, Kayla's vegetarian story was loosely based on my own reasons for going vegetarian. I was guilted by a dammed chicken. Anyway, the final chapter is next. And sorry I didn't get back to your reviews on the previous chapter. I've been wrapping up three different fan fics and things are a bit chaotic for me at the moment. But I really appreciated them. :)


	4. Strange Transmissions

Chapter Song - Strange Transmissions by Norah Jones

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><p><strong>Chapter 4 – Strange Transmissions<strong>

Hayley's POV

"Hayley, your dad's ready to take you to the airport," my mother said, coming into the room with a sad expression on her face. I knew that look well. She'd been giving it to me ever since Seth ended our engagement.

Pain ricocheted throughout my body as I thought about Seth. Along with an incredible dose of humiliation. I was so ashamed of how I'd behaved the last time I saw him. I didn't even know the person I had become. Bitter, angry. He'd been right. I had become a shell of who I once was.

My problem was that I had always loved Seth too much. He became an obsession, and when my dad warned me that he would most likely break my heart, I ignored him. Now, Seth was off in Seattle trying to win his soul mate, and I was left alone living with my parents with no future planned because I had made my whole life about him.

Was it so wrong to want love like Hanna and my parents had? I grew up seeing my parents adore each other all my life. They laughed and loved so much. And they encompassed my twin and I in that circle of warmth.

Then there was Hanna. My twin didn't even realize how lucky she was or how much Devlin loved her. I saw it even before I knew of the wolves and what imprinting was. Devlin would do anything for Hanna. And she felt the same way about him, though she claimed it was because they were best friends. I knew she had tried dating a few guys at Julliard, but the relationships never worked out because her true mate was back in La Push, waiting patiently for the day she would finally open her eyes and see him.

So when Seth gave me a chance, I latched onto him. I put off college. I stopped hanging out with friends and family. All I wanted was him. I was so stupid…so incredibly immature.

It was seeing Seth chase after his imprint after she walked in on us, his face filled with pain and longing, that made me finally wake up. Even though we'd been happy and I knew that he loved me, Seth never looked at me the way he looked at her. That was a hard pill to swallow, but I realized that I was selling myself short. I deserved a great love, and Seth wasn't it.

But there was no need to rush into another relationship. I was only nineteen. It was time to focus on me. I needed to get my priorities straight. And the first step I was going to take toward self-improvement was college. I wanted to get a way—to have a fresh start. I applied to several different schools all over the United States. The farther away from La Push and it's bad memories, the better. I ended up getting into Northwestern University, which wasn't that far from Chicago, Illinois.

I had been to Chicago once before to see Hanna perform with the Chicago Philharmonic Orchestra when she was sixteen. I loved the city. It was right along Lake Michigan, one of the largest freshwater lakes in the world. There was something so exciting about the place. You could hop on the L train and be taken anywhere in the city. You could go to the theatre and then swing by the Art Institute of Chicago to look at paintings by Monet and Van Gogh. You could eat fine dining before heading over to Shedd's Aquarium. There was always something to do. I was ready to live in the big city and embrace all its distractions.

I picked up my suitcase and faced my mom. "I'm ready to go."

She walked over to me and hugged me tight. "You're making the right decision."

"I know," I murmured.

We walked out to the car and we did the hour drive to the airport in Port Angeles. My mom said, "You have a stopover in Seattle and then it's off to Chicago from there."

I looked out the window blankly. Seth was in Seattle. Luckily, I only had a half hour between my flights so I would have to resist the temptation to see him. He really was like a drug to me…a bad habit that I needed to kick.

"I called my friend, Ethan Bennett," my dad spoke up. "He said he'd pick you up from the airport and take you to your dorm."

"Ethan?" I said. "I don't remember you ever having a friend named Ethan."

"He left La Push right before you were born," my father explained. I glanced at my dad's profile and something on his face made me stiffen.

"How do you know him, Dad?"

He shrugged. "We were in the same grade."

"And that's all?" I asked through narrowed eyes.

"He might have been in the pack," my father said nonchalantly.

"Are you kidding me on this?" I snapped. "I want to leave everything about La Push behind, and you're telling me there's a freaking wolf living in Chicago?"

"He's been retired from the pack for over twenty years, Hays," my dad said. "He's a nice guy. He phased around the same time Azra, Ryan, and the others did. He works for the Chicago Blackhawks now. You'll like him, and I'll feel better knowing there's someone in the city you can go to if you need help."

"Aren't you afraid I'll fall in love with him?" I questioned sarcastically. That was my father's number one reason why he hated me falling for Seth. He didn't want me to get involved with a wolf.

"You learned your lesson with Seth, and Ethan isn't looking for love. He just went through a painful divorce a couple of years ago. He'll be there to help you out, but nothing more."

"Good," I muttered. I definitely didn't want romance at this point in my life. Nope, I was going to stick to my plan. Focus on school, self-improvement, and forget the past.

When we reached the airport, I hugged my parents goodbye with a promise to call them as soon as I reached my destination. I got on the plane and landed in Seattle a half hour later. As I waited for my flight to Chicago, I looked out the large airport window. I could see the Seattle skyline and my heart ached. Somewhere out there, Seth was with his imprint. He was probably kissing her…making love to her.

A tear streamed down my cheek, but I brushed it away determinedly. I didn't want to think about him. When I thought about the last time he saw me, I could only cringe.

Deciding I needed a distraction, I pulled out my college catalog. I was going to spend the next year getting my general electives out of the way before I declared a major. I had always enjoyed writing though and I was debating getting a degree in it. I loved the idea of becoming a novelist.

_I could write an entire saga on the wolves, _I thought cynically. Though I'd have to change certain things. No matter how bitter I was about my life, I'd never expose the pack. Too many lives would be at risk, including my family's.

When my flight was called, I bordered my plane. It took a few hours before we landed in Chicago. As I left the terminal and picked up my suitcase, I glanced around. I didn't even know where I was supposed to be meeting this guy. I was about to pull out my cell phone and call my dad when I felt a strong urge to look over my left shoulder. I saw a tall man standing nearby. He was dressed in jeans and a black t-shirt that hugged his muscular frame. He was obviously Native American and was drop dead gorgeous. He had a bored expression on his face as he scanned the crowd. Swallowing my sudden nerves, I put my suitcase on its rollers and walked over to him.

"Excuse me, are you Ethan Bennett?" I asked.

He turned his head and…suddenly I forgot everything. My pain over Seth. The way he looked. I even briefly forgot my own name.

And I knew as I stared into the dark brown eyes of the man before me that he felt it too. His jaw dropped open slightly and his eyes went slightly unfocused before his gaze locked onto me like I was the only woman in the world.

"There you are," he murmured.

"Sorry?" I asked distractedly. His voice was so hypnotizing.

"My imp—" He stopped himself before he could finish his sentence. Shaking his head slightly as if to wake himself up, he said, "Sorry. Yes, I'm Ethan."

He held his hand out for me to shake. As soon as I felt his palm touch mine, it was like an electric jolt shot through my system.

I smiled slowly in return. "I'm Hayley."

* * *

><p>Seth's POV<p>

Here it was. The day before Kayla Marie's wedding…and I had no fucking clue how to stop it. As promised, I helped her plan everything, from her wedding dress—which she looked heartbreakingly gorgeous in—to her wedding invites. Her fiancé had very little interest in that kind of thing so he never went with her to the different stores. In fact, he didn't support her at all when it came to planning his own wedding day. Why? Because he's an asshole.

Today I was taking Kayla to Whitlee's, the spa Leah owned with her best friend, Whitney. As a shareholder in the business, I was determined to make sure Kayla got pampered. And then I was taking her out to dinner before she left for her bachelorette party. My plans for after dinner were to get drunk off my ass. Hopefully, I would still be drunk the next day when I watched my imprint marry another man.

I pulled up to Kayla Marie's apartment just as her front door opened and she came out. She looked beautiful in a pale green summer dress and her hair up in a bun. She waved to me and I felt myself smiling despite my trepidation over her wedding day. Kayla opened the car door and sat in the passenger seat, her coconut scent tantalizing.

"Hi Seth!" she said with her natural exuberance. "So are you going to tell me where you're taking me yet? I wore a dress per your request. Can you give me a hint?"

"Nope," I replied. "I told you it's a surprise. "But I'll get you home in plenty of time to get ready for your bachelorette party."

"Gah…I can't believe I'm getting married tomorrow," she stated, sitting back and closing her eyes as a smile appeared on her lips.

"Me either," I muttered as I put the car in gear and headed for downtown Seattle.

"And Aaron, he's just so…he's…what am I trying to say?"

"That he's one brain cell above being a centipede?" I stated insolently.

"Shut up," she said lightly, hitting my arm with her hand. "I know you don't like him, but he's going to be a wonderful husband."

"So you keep telling me," I said as I pulled into the spa's parking lot. I shut off the engine and turned to face her. "Who are you trying to convince though? Me or you?"

She frowned as she stared at the dashboard before she raised her chin defiantly. "I don't want to fight today, okay? And why are we at your sister's spa?"

"Because this is our first stop," I said and warmed when I saw a smile brighten her face.

"Really?"

"Really," I replied and was caught by surprise as Kayla threw her hands around my neck.

"Thank you, Seth," she murmured against my shoulder.

Kissing her on the head, I said, "You're welcome. Now let's get going."

We got out of the car and walked into the building. It was deluxe. Whitney and Leah had spared no expense. The interior was marble, the colors warm and welcoming.

As we approached the main desk, the attentive girl behind the counter immediately straightened as soon as she saw me. "Good afternoon, Mr. Clearwater."

"Hello Maxinne, are you ready for us?"

"I've got this appointment, Maxinne," a voice said. I looked over and saw my sister standing in archway of the main hall.

"Leah, what are you doing in Seattle?" I asked as I went over to give her a hug.

"Lilly and I are having a little girl time this weekend," she replied.

I glanced behind her and saw my niece standing there looking gangly. Though she was just shy of her thirteenth birthday, she was as tall as Leah and appeared closer to twenty-two in her appearance. But being a wolf did that to you.

"Hey, baby girl," I said, giving her a hug. She was growing up into such a pretty little thing. Poor Gabriel Black was going to have his hands full. I knew how difficult it was to have an imprint that guys drooled over.

"Hi Uncle Seth," she replied.

"You're getting too big, kid," I told her and she blushed which caused me to chuckle. Teenagers.

I turned to find Leah inspecting Kayla Marie closely. I had a feeling that Leah's visit to Seattle wasn't spur of the moment.

"Leah, you remember Kayla?" I asked.

"Of course," she said, going over to shake my imprint's hand.

"And Kayla, this is my niece, Lilly," I introduced them.

"Hi," Kayla said before turning to me. "The way you spoke of her, I thought she was a teenager."

"I am," Lilly replied. "I'm just a freak."

So…she was still struggling with being a wolf.

"You're not a freak," I murmured.

"No kidding," Kayla Marie agreed. "With your looks and height, you could be a supermodel." Which of course made Leah beam and even Lilly smiled a little.

"Lil, can you take Kayla to the massage room?" Leah asked.

"Sure," she said. They disappeared down the hall together.

Leah faced me. "Okay, I'm kind of in love with your imprint."

I laughed sourly. "That makes two of us."

"And you're just going to let her get away?"

"It's what she wants. Aaron—" I spit out the name—"is what she wants."

Leah shook her head before grabbing my hand. "Come on."

"Where are you taking me?" I asked as we went into the same direction as my imprint.

"You, good sir, are getting some treatment as well. You look tense and from what Embry's told me, you're taking Kayla out on a hot dinner date tonight. You'll want to look your best."

Somewhere over the past few months, Leah and I had absorbed Embry into our inner sibling circle. I called him for imprint advice all the time. Leah called him because family was important to her and she wanted her children to know their other uncle.

"It's not a date," I responded. "I'm just taking her out for a celebratory dinner before she goes to her bachelorette party."

"Whatever you say, Seth," she replied as she took me to the locker room. She knocked on the door and when there was no response, we walked in. Turning to me, Leah said, "Put your clothes in one of the lockers. A fresh robe will be hanging inside and then go through that door." She pointed to a door on the opposite side of the room.

"Sure."

As Leah started to walk out, I remembered something. "Hey, where are you staying this weekend anyway? I know you're not at the condo since I'm there. Please tell me you didn't get a hotel room."

"Nah," Leah said. "We're staying with Whitney and Brandon. Their daughter is a little younger than Lilly so they're planning a slumber party tonight. I thought it'd be good for Lil. She rarely acts her age anymore."

I saw the frown lines appear on Leah's face. "Hey, don't worry about her. If she's getting moody, remember she'll be an official teenager soon."

Leah laughed. "Don't remind me. Now get changed so your appointment doesn't fall behind."

"Yes ma'am," I responded.

After Leah left me alone, I changed into a robe and walked through the door I was supposed to. There was a man named Kent waiting for me. He worked on my upper body for the next half hour, muttering the entire time about there being too much tension in my muscles. No shit. My treatment also entailed having hot rocks put along my pressure points. Feeling the heat seep into my skin made my body relax despite my current situation.

Next I was taken to get a facial. When I protested at the idea, I was told by Kent that Leah had insisted this be a part of my session. I gritted my teeth and hoped the guys in the pack never heard about it. As I was having seaweed and other shit applied to my face, I wondered how Kayla Marie was doing. I knew she was nearby—I could feel the pull to her. And as I didn't feel any stress coming from her, I knew she was enjoying her time at the spa.

After I had some minty crap massaged into my scalp—I had to admit, that felt awesome—and they did something to my feet, I was led into the hallway. Leah was leaning against the wall opposite me with a smirk on her face.

"Having fun?" she questioned.

"You tell anybody about this, I'll—"

"Aww Sethie, would I do that do you?" she questioned evilly. Before I could answer, she said, "C'mon, there's one more step."

"What now?" I grumbled.

"Something that will restore your masculinity. A nice session in the Jacuzzi." She led me to a room, but paused before she opened the door. She gave me a serious look. "Don't blow this."

"What are you talking about?" I asked as she opened the door, but I knew as soon as I peeked inside the room.

It was a space meant for private serenity. Candles lit the place and there was a CD of New Age music playing somewhere. More importantly, Kayla Marie was sitting in the middle of the Jacuzzi with a washcloth over her eyes. The bubbles hid her form, but I knew she was as naked as I was under my robe. I looked at Leah and started to shake my head, but she shoved me in the room before I could back away and closed the door quietly behind me.

"Is someone there?" Kayla asked, pulling the washcloth from her eyes. "Oh. Hi."

She crossed her arms over her chest and I retreated backwards until I felt the wall against me. "I can't see anything."

She bit her lip uneasily and I said, "Are you enjoying yourself?"

Kayla instantly relaxed. "This is amazing. Thank you, Seth."

"You're welcome," I responded, feeling satisfied and a bit proud that I could give my imprint this. But she obviously didn't want me here. "Listen, I'm going to see if I can find another Jacuzzi."

As I turned and reached for the door handle, she said, "You really can't see anything?"

"Nope," I replied with my back to her. The bubbles in the water had hid her body from me.

"Then why don't you join me?" she stated.

I swiveled around to look at her in surprise. "Are you sure?"

Kayla shrugged. "It seems silly to go walking through the place looking for an empty Jacuzzi. Besides, they just brought me a pot of green tea before you got here. Might as well drink it with me."

I glanced down at my robe. "I don't have anything on under this."

"I'll close my eyes until you get in," she promised. When I still hesitated, she said, "C'mon Seth. You're my best friend. Don't you trust me?"

"Yeah…okay," I said. She closed her eyes and I stripped off my robe and hopped in the water, ignoring my inner wolf who was silently roaring for Kayla to look at me. I smiled as I stared at her tilted face and closed eyes. I was so tempted to kiss her lips. I felt myself harden and I sunk even lower in the water. "You can open your eyes now."

A smirk appeared on her face as she slowly opened them. I didn't miss the way her eyes briefly ran over my chest before she turned to the side and reached for the tea pot next to her. She was careful to hide her breasts, though I did see the slight curve of one. But to be a gentleman, I forced my eyes to the ceiling.

"You want this?" she asked.

She held out a small cup of green tea which I took from her, our fingertips lightly brushing. I sipped at it a little too fast and felt the scalding liquid race down my throat.

I coughed a little bit and she said, "You okay there?"

"Yep, fine."

She took a sip of hers, savoring it with relish. Leah had obviously planned this well, bringing in two cups. Kayla Marie placed hers on the floorboard next to her head and sunk in the water until it was resting just beneath her chin. Her feet started to rise up with the bubbles. One brushed my leg making me jump.

"Oh sorry," she said straightening a little.

"It's okay," I squeaked.

She laughed again. "You're acting like a petrified virgin. Relax, will you? You're ruining my mood. I promise I won't seduce you. Engaged, remember?"

She splashed water in my face. I gave her a mock glare which caused her to giggle.

"You think I'm going to let you get away with that?" I asked.

She answered by splashing more water in my face.

"That's it!" I said, lunging at her.

I grabbed her knee and squeezed the joint area because she had once told me it was a ticklish spot on her. She squealed and pushed at my wet chest. Somehow I managed to get between her legs, my arms going on either side of her, though I was careful to make sure our bodies weren't touching.

"You give up?" I asked.

"Yes," she said, laughing.

I looked at her full bottom lip and everything around me blurred. I wanted to taste her again. I wanted to see if she was as sweet as I remembered. I noticed she went still, feeling the mood change as I did.

"Can I kiss you?" I whispered.

"Seth…" she answered in a hesitant tone.

"Just one kiss," I said, moving in closer. "One kiss to last me for the rest of my life."

I brushed my lips against hers and shuddered at the contact. I wasn't going to be able to give her the kiss I truly ached for. It was too much…my emotions were too raw. I started to pull away, but Kayla leaned forward and pressed her mouth to mine.

And that was all I need to lose complete control.

I moved to a kneeling position, my arms going around her. I pulled her against me and heard her gasp as she felt my erection. I didn't allow our mouths to break contact and I darted my tongue past her parted lips. She moved her hands to the back of my neck in response, locking me in place. Our tongues danced and mated as her legs wrapped around my waist.

I needed more…I needed so much more. I moved my hand between our bodies, seeking the very core of her. I came in contact with her protruding bud and ran my thumb over it back and forth. Kayla responded by biting my lip before sucking on it hard.

I moved my fingers between her feminine lips, seeking her heated entrance. When I slowly entered one inside her, she tilted her head and closed her eyes, exposing her neck. I sucked lightly on the skin there as I inserted another finger. I knew when I hit the perfect spot because her breathing got heavier and her nails bit into my neck. I continued to tease her until I felt her insides begin to squeeze around me.

"Oh G-God," she murmured.

In the middle of her climax, I turned us around and sat on the Jacuzzi seat. I pulled Kayla on top of me, her legs going on either side of me. Maneuvering her hips, I placed my throbbing flesh at her most vulnerable spot. But I didn't enter her. I let it be her decision and she didn't disappoint. She grasped my erection in her hand and lowered herself on it. She sunk slowly, letting her body adjust to my size. And then we began to move together in perfect harmony, the water giving us a weightless feeling.

It was electric. It was beautiful. As we reached our peaks, her nails dug into my scalp and I shouted out her name. Afterwards, we held onto each other, our bodies trembling.

And then reality set in.

Kayla Marie looked at me with horror dawning in her eyes. "Oh my God, what did I just do?"

"Kayla, there's something I need to tell you," I said urgently.

"Oh my God," she said again, getting off my lap and climbing out of the tub on shaking limbs. "I can't believe I just did that. I'm getting married tomorrow."

"Please," I said. "Let me explain—"

"What is there to explain?" she shrieked, grabbing her robe and pulling it on sloppily. "I just cheated on Aaron. I can't…unless…" She looked at me in horror. "Unless…did you plan this? Did you bring me here to seduce me?"

"Of course not," I said, feeling crushed by the accusation. "This was the last thing I thought of. You know me better than that."

"But it's not like you haven't tried to seduce me before," she accused.

I was starting to get pissed. Granted, I was the one who initiated everything that had just happened, but she'd been with me, every step of the way.

"Don't put this all on me," I said in frustration. "You were the one who invited me in here in the first place. What engaged woman allows a naked man who isn't her fiancé to join her in a Jacuzzi?" She blanched at that and I knew I'd done the unforgivable. "Oh shit, I didn't mean it—"

But it was too late. Kayla opened the door and ran down the hall. Swearing profusely, I jumped out of the tub and grabbed my own robe. I went after her, but she went into the ladies' room. I paced outside the door like a caged animal. When she came out, she didn't look at me.

"Kayla, I'm sorry," I said, grabbing her arm. She swung around and slapped me across the face.

"Stay the fuck away from me!" she shouted. And as she ran away, I found that I literally couldn't follow her. We are what our imprints need us to be…and Kayla didn't want me anywhere near her.

My body ached with the pain I had caused her. Like an old man with bad arthritis, I slowly walked into the men's locker room and got dressed. Leah was waiting for me in the hallway when I came out.

"What happened?" she asked. "Kayla tore out of here like the spa had suddenly caught fire."

"I don't want to talk about it," I muttered. "She left?"

"Yeah, hailed down a taxi and took off." Leah examined my face closely. "Shit, you had sex with her, didn't you?"

"What did you expect would happen when you pushed me in that room?" I snapped, looking for anyone to blame because I needed an outlet for my anger.

"I expected you to tell her about the imprint, you fucking idiot," she snapped back.

"Yeah, well. I tried. She told me to leave her alone."

I started walking towards the front entrance. Leah kept pace with me. "What are you going to do?"

"Go home. Get drunk."

"Seth—"

"Forget it, Leah," I said, suddenly exhausted. "She doesn't want anything to do with me, and I can't go against my imprint's wishes."

My sister looked at me with so much disappointment. "You're a fool."

Without another word, she turned and left. I made my way over to my car and got in. Kayla's natural scent still lingered in the air and I felt myself tearing up. Wiping at my eyes, I started the car and headed to the nearest liquor store. I bought two bottles of scotch and headed for home. Sometime after I was halfway through the second bottle, I heard a pounding on my door. Getting up on wobbly legs, I answered it and was surprised to see Embry on the other side.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't my big ole brother," I said, swaying back and forth on my feet. "C'mon in."

I went back to the couch and collapsed on it. Embry came over and grabbed the remaining scotch disapprovingly and poured it down the kitchen sink.

"Hey, I need that," I protested.

"No…you need to sleep this shit off so you can stop the wedding tomorrow."

"Didn't you hear? I seduced your little sis and now she hates my ass," I slurred.

"No, she doesn't."

"Ye_p_," I replied with an emphasis on the p. "Given that she made vapor tracks after we had sex should tell ya something." I frowned as I thought about what I just said. "Tracks? Is that right?"

"Trails," Embry murmured as he started making instant coffee. "And if Kayla wasn't in love with you, she would never have slept with you to begin with. She's not the type to have casual sex or to cheat."

"Well, it doesn't matter cause I fucked up good. She was yellin' at me and I basically said she was a slut cause she invited me into the Jacooze…Jacozi…fuck it, she invited me in the tub in the first place."

"Here," Embry said, handing me a cup of steaming coffee. I sipped at it and the alcohol inside me protested by causing my stomach to roll. "That probably wasn't the best thing to say," Embry stated as he watched me take another gulp.

"No shit," I muttered as I set the coffee down on the table next to the couch and closed my eyes.

"You shouldn't give up though," he said.

"In case you missed it brother dear, she's gettin' married tomorrow."

"Seth, you need to tell her. Everything. About the wolf pack and about your connection to her. I've seen the two of you together. She loves you, and I can guarantee she feels your bond. She just doesn't understand it and she's scared. And I bet you anything, she's feeling so bad right now, she'll go through with the wedding out of guilt if you don't convince her otherwise."

"Embry?" I remarked.

"Yeah?"

"I think I'm gonna be sick."

My brother swore and helped me off the couch. He dragged me over to the bathroom and I made it just in time to vomit. I pretty much stayed on the floor for the rest of the night, my head using a couple of towels for a pillow.

Sometime during the night, I passed out and woke up to a horrible pounding in my ears. Only I realized that it was another person at the door. I slowly got up and instantly groaned as the mother of all hangover headaches started thumping in my head.

I walked slowly toward the door and opened it. Leah walked in and eyed me with disgust. "Well, don't you look like Prince Charming."

I frowned at her. "Was Embry here?"

"He was. He called me a little while ago and said he had to leave to get ready for the wedding, but he was worried about you. I told him I'd come over and check to make sure you were still alive."

"Great," I mumbled as I made my way into the kitchen and grabbed some bread to chew. I sat down at the table and ate it quickly, letting the doughy food soak up the remaining alcohol in my stomach. I sighed as I put my head in my hands.

"What am I going to do, Leah?" I muttered.

I felt her sit down next to me. She placed her hand on my arm and I looked at her.

"You're going to tell her about the imprint. And you're going to tell her you're in love with her."

"She loves him," I said.

"She loves you more," Leah replied before she sighed. "You've always put others before yourself if you thought what they were doing was right. You did it when Jacob broke away from the pack. And you're doing it now. But Seth…you're wrong this time. If you don't stop this wedding, you'll both regret it for the rest of your lives."

"She wants Aaron," I said, feeling sick for even speaking the name. "She's told me that repeatedly."

"Seth, I'm going to use a quote from the movie, _Good Will Hunting_. I think it best suits the situation right now."

I looked at my sister through hazy eyes.

She looked at me very sincerely and said, "You're sitting on a winning lottery ticket, but you're too much of a pussy to cash it in." Before I could react to that, she added, "Now, I'm telling you to get off your ass, stop worrying, and get to that church before your soul mate makes the biggest mistake of her life and marries someone else."

"Yeah…okay," I said, feeling determination return.

"But first," Leah remarked. "You need to shower because you stink like puke."

"Thanks Lee," I said, getting up and hugging her much to her protest. I hurried into the bathroom to shower and shave. After I dressed, I ran outside with Leah wishing me good luck from the front door. I raced to the church in time to see people in their wedding finery entering the building. There was no close parking so I parked down the road.

Sneaking into the back entrance, I followed the pull to Kayla Marie until I was standing outside a door. The fact that I could even get this close to her filled me with hope. She might have told me to stay away from her yesterday, but she had obviously relented.

I put my ear against the door, but didn't hear any voices inside so I slowly opened it. Kayla was staring out a window and all I could see was her profile. She looked incredibly beautiful with her hair pulled up and her wedding dress fitted perfectly to her petite form. She took my breath away. But I ached at the sadness on her face.

"Kayla," I said, coming in and closing the door. She jumped at the sound of my voice, turning to face me. I felt something inside me die as I stared at her red rimmed eyes that even the makeup couldn't hide.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I'm sorry for what I said yesterday. I didn't mean it," I started off saying.

Her eyebrows shot up. "Okay."

"And I'm here to beg you to not marry Aaron."

Her shoulders sagged. "We've been over this."

"Yeah, but the thing is…I'm in love with you. I have been since the first moment I met you. It's why I called off my engagement to Hayley. Because I knew the instant I laid eyes on you that I had found the one I was supposed to be with. And I think you felt that way too."

"Is that a fact?" Kayla replied, lifting her chin before she shook her head. "Leave, Seth."

"But you don't want me to," I said with sudden confidence. "Because I can feel it. I can feel _you_. I know when you're feeling sad. I know when I've made you happy. And I know that you don't want me to leave you right now. Because you and I—" I took a step toward her—"have a bond between us. Literally, there's something between us. There's a reason why we're drawn to each other and you need to let me tell you about it—"

"Kayla, sweetie," a male voice said outside the door. "It's time."

I felt panic rise inside me. She looked at me, then the door.

"Please," I begged. "Give me more time."

Tears turned her hazel eyes into the color of wet jade. She slowly shook her head. "I'll be right there, Dad."

"Kayla," I said. "Don't go through with the wedding. You'll regret it. Maybe not right away. Maybe not even a year from now. But you _will_ regret it someday. Because you don't have with Aaron what Embry has with Rebecca. They seem almost mystically drawn together, don't they? So perfectly in sync with one another. You and I have that connection too. You just have to let me explain it to you."

She swallowed before she said, "I don't know what you think is between us and I'm r-really sorry for what happened yesterday. But I am marrying Aaron Wessix." Without another glance at me she headed for the door. She paused and said, "Goodbye Seth," before she walked out of the room.

I felt like the weight of the world was suddenly crushing my shoulders. I slowly made my way outside. I glanced at the double doors leading into the main part of the church. I could hear music begin to play. My hands trembled and I knew I was close to phasing. I made my way down the street, ignoring the wolf inside me that was howling its disapproval.

I was about to cross the street when I heard, "Seth!"

I turned and saw Kayla Marie running down the street in her wedding dress. Her face was a mix of panic, hope, and horror.

"Seth!" she yelled again. She ran over to me and grabbed onto my chest. "Get me out of here."

I looked behind her and saw people coming out of the church with baffled expressions. Embry and Rebecca stood off to the side. My brother grinned and gave me a thumbs up.

I smiled shakily and grabbed Kayla's hand before escorting her to my car. Once we got inside I said, "Where do you want to go?"

"Anywhere. Just get me away from here."

I put the car into drive and we took off. "Do you want to go to my place?"

"No."

"Your place?"

"No!" she practically shouted.

We drove in silence as I headed out of Seattle and went east. When we started to reach the wooded area of Mt. Rainier National Park, Kayla started crying hysterically.

"I j-just left him at the alter. I-I got all the way up there and t-took one look at his f-face and said I c-couldn't go through with it." She brought her hands up to her face. "W-Who does that?"

I pulled off on a side road and drove for a little ways until I knew we were far enough away from the main road. I parked the car and leaned across the seat. I wrapped my arm around my imprint and she buried her face against my shoulder, sobbing so hard the car shook.

"It's not your fault. It's mine," I murmured. "I should have told you about everything from the beginning."

"Right," she said, hiccupping as she tried to catch her breath. "You said you were going to e-explain why I felt a connection to you the instant we met."

My eyes narrowed in worry. "You're not going to have an asthma attack, are you?"

She frowned in surprise. "You know it's weird, but I never have problems with my asthma when I'm around you."

"You might today," I muttered as I ran a hand through my hair.

"Why?"

"Because I have a strange story to tell you," I replied.

And so, I spent the next half hour telling her everything. I told her the legends of my people. I told her about the wolf pack. Her face went from disbelief to concern to fear as I finished my story.

"So…" she said slowly. "You can turn into a wolf?"

"You don't believe me."

"Well…you think you can turn into a giant wolf who fights vampires and that Embry can too. It's a little—uh—it's…"

"Fine," I said, opening my door. She looked at me warily as I got out of the car and started stripping off my clothes.

"What are you doing?" she asked in a horrified tone.

"Just watch," I said as I stood completely naked before her. Closing my eyes, I allowed my body to shift. Kayla's eyes went wide, her face paled, and then she keeled over in her seat having completely fainted. I phased back into human form and quickly got dressed. I checked on Kayla to make sure I didn't kill her. And then I sat back patiently as I waited for her to regain consciousness.

"Seth?" she murmured as she came to.

"Hi," I said, eyeing her cautiously.

"What happened?" she said, sitting up. "The last thing I remember is…"

She sucked in a breath as her head jerked toward me.

"Yep," I said. "It happened. I used to be in a pack. Embry was in the same one."

"But how?" she whispered.

I shrugged. "Magic…or if you want to look at it from a scientific perspective, it's an inherited gene that gets activated whenever there are vampires around. Some people inherit baldness or glaucoma. I inherited becoming a wolf."

"Are there any vampires around?"

"I have some friends that live in Vancouver, but—"

"Wait, you're friends with vampires?"

"Some, yeah. The Cullens. But that's another story for another time. There's more I need to tell you if you're ready."

She shakily nodded her head and I continued, "There's this thing wolves do called imprinting. Imprinting is our way of finding our soul mates. Once we see the person we're supposed to spend the rest of our lives with, we instantly bond with them. We live to make them happy and in return, we're blissfully happy ourselves."

"Bond?" Kayla whispered. "Is that what happened when we met?"

"Yes," I answered simply.

"So what does that mean?"

"It means that you're the love of my life."

"But you…you didn't have a choice. You were engaged when we met. You were in love with someone else."

"I was," I admitted "But I realized that Hayley and I weren't meant for each other. We both deserved a chance at true happiness so I ended the engagement."

"And…and you're happy with me?"

"Kayla Marie, just seeing you smile can light up my heart for weeks."

She tentatively smiled at that and I grabbed her hand.

"So what happens now?" she asked.

"Well, I think you're going to need some time to recover from today. But when you're ready, I'd love to take you on a real date and then after that…who knows. Maybe we'll get an 'and they lived happily ever after.'"

She entwined her fingers with mine and gave me another little smile. "Stranger things have happened, right? I mean you _did_ imprint on your brother's sister."

I laughed at that. "So everyone kept reminding me after it happened." I leaned over and kissed her lips before pulling back slightly. "But you know what? I'll take my strange imprint any day."

**THE END**

* * *

><p>*snickers* I had to get one final imprint in with Hayley and Ethan. Thanks for reading Seth's story! As I said in the first chapter, I wrote this for charity, but I hope it entertained you at least a little bit. And now that I finished all the stories I said I was going to do, I am officially retiring from Twilight fan fiction.<p>

Thank you to all my readers for giving my stories a chance over the years! Also, special thanks to my beta, Jessica, for giving me so much of her free time. I bombarded her the past couple of weeks and she was amazing about getting chapters back to me.

Next up for me…lol, I'm going to do what every other fan fiction writer tries to do. I've got a million ideas in my head for stories, so I'm leaving fan fiction behind to work on an original story that I can hopefully get published someday. (For those of you who've asked me to let you know how my original story is coming along, I'll continue to update my blog about it…that'll actually be the best way to get a hold of me from now on.)

And just in case you're left wondering about the fate of my other imprint couples…lol, if you haven't guessed yet, they might go through hell for a little bit, but they always get their happy ending. I've always viewed imprinting as a shortcut to finding your soul mate. Hanna and Devlin, Azra and Natalie, etc…they all end up with who they're supposed to.

Thanks again everyone! This has been an experience I won't forget!


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